Trailers Galore: Sifting Through The Rubble Of The Worst Movie Time Of The Year

Your local cineplex may be stocked up right now with all the big awards season nominees and a few leftover holiday blockbusters, but soon that theater complex will look more like a prison with 18 different options for your two hour sentence.

After the big Christmas time films and awards contenders run out of gas at the box office, America's worst movie drought of the year begins. From late January until the middle of May when the unofficial hunting season opens for the summer blockbusters to be, the offerings at the ticket window are, in a word, shitty.

The chance does exist for a bright spot or two, and I'm not so cynical about it that I have completely given up all hope. So, here are few films scheduled to hit theaters during the dry spell that just might break the mold for the typical first quarter drought we're usually treated to. No promises on these though, they're coming out now for a reason.

HAYWIRE | Starring: Gina Carano, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton, Michael Douglas | Directed by Steven Soderbergh | Opens January 20, 2012

Synopsis:
Beautiful freelance covert operative Mallory Kane (Carano) is hired out by her handler to various global entities to perform jobs which governments can't authorize and heads of state would rather not know about. After a mission to rescue a hostage in Barcelona, Mallory is quickly dispatched on another mission to Dublin. When the operation goes awry and Mallory finds she has been double crossed, she needs to use all of her skills, tricks and abilities to escape an international manhunt, make it back to the United States, protect her family, and exact revenge on those that have betrayed her.

Outlook:
It sure looks a lot like the Bourne Vagina, but it is Steven Soderbergh. And, if it were a femme fatale meets Jason Bourne, wouldn't that be bad ass too? Soderbergh is generally pretty reliable and his use of non-actors is always interesting and here he's chosen to work with Gina Carano who made her name in women's MMA. The supporting cast looks solid (super-duper solid - Michael Fassbender I am looking at YOU!) and Soderbergh has the potential to make really fascinating choices as the director of a fast paced action film. Don't go in expecting an award winner, but it could be a fun gender twist on a fun genre that usually winds up worth the price of admission. Oh yeah and it's Soderbergh plus Fassbender. Did I mention I kinda like those guys?





RETURN | Starring: Linda Cardellini, Michael Shannon and John Slattery | Directed Liza Johnson | Opens in limited release on February 10, 2012

Synopsis: Linda Cardellini, best known for her work on the under-appreciated TV series Freaks and Geeks plays a woman (Kelli) just back from a tour of duty trying to assimilate with her old life back in the town where she grew up. However, it becomes apparent that her husband and family have no idea what she has been through and her return to her old way of life will be anything but easy.

Outlook: It's nice to see Cardellini get a meaty role. She deserves the chance and I hope she can pull it off. The supporting cast looks terrific, what with the use of ringers like Shannon and Slattery. This film looks to have lots of promise as long as it stays away from obvious choices, like a soundtrack filled with Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp numbers.




BEING FLYNN | Starring: Robert Deniro, Paul Dano, Julianne Moore, Olivia Thurlby and Lili Taylor | Directed by Paul Weitz | Opens March 2, 2012

Synopsis:
Being Flynn is the new dramatic feature from Academy Award-nominated writer/director Paul Weitz (About a Boy). Adapted from Nick Flynn’s 2004 memoir Another Bulls—t Night in Suck City. Nick Flynn (Dano) is a young writer seeking to define himself. He misses his late mother, Jody (four-time Academy Award nominee Julianne Moore), and her loving nature. But his father, Jonathan, is not even a memory, as Nick has not seen the man in 18 years.

Jonathan Flynn (De Niro) has long defined himself as a great writer, “a master storyteller.” After abandoning his wife and child, Jonathan scrapes through life on his own terms, and ends up serving time in prison for cashing forged checks. After prison, he drives a cab for a number of years, but with his drinking and eccentricities now accelerating, he loses his job. Despite the occasional grandiose letter to his son, he has remained absent from Nick’s life.

Suddenly facing eviction from his apartment, Jonathan impulsively reaches out to Nick and the two come face-to-face. The older man is eloquent and formidable; overwhelmed, Nick nonetheless prepares to integrate his father into his own life. But, as quickly as he materialized, Jonathan flits away again.

Outlook:
The trailer gives the impression that Deniro might be back after a very long dry spell. Weitz did a nice job with his previous feature, About A Boy and with Dano and Moore onboard along with a good supporting cast, this has promise. Don't forget though, that this is in essence a biopic, and one based on a memoir to boot. Those are a tricky lot and in the hands of the wrong script writer and director it can mean a very mushy and tedious night out. It's probably worth a ticket just to see if Deniro still has it.




THIS MUST BE THE PLACE | Starring: Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch and Harry Dean Stanton | Directed by Paolo Sorrentino | Opens March, 2012

Synopsis:
Cheyenne, a wealthy former rock star (Penn), now bored and jaded in his retirement embarks on a quest to find his father's persecutor, an ex-Nazi war criminal now hiding out in the U.S. Learning his father is close to death, he travels to New York in the hope of being reconciled with him during his final hours, only to arrive too late. Having been estranged for over 30 years, it is only now in death that he learns the true extent of his father's humiliation in Auschwitz at the hands of former SS Officer Aloise Muller - an event he is determined to avenge. So begins a life-altering journey across the heartland of America to track down and confront his father's nemesis. As his quest unfolds, Cheyenne is reawakened by the people he encounters and his journey is transformed into one of reconciliation and self discovery. As his date with destiny arrives and he tracks down Muller, Cheyenne must finally decide if it is redemption he seeks ....or revenge. Starring two time Academy Award winner Sean Penn and marking the much-anticipated English-language debut of acclaimed director Paolo Sorrentino,

Outlook:
It seems tough to imagine watching Sean Penn dressed as a guy from The Cure for two hours, but like him or hate him, he's always making interesting choices as an actor. The road movie meets family reunitement meets black sheep all seems pretty hokey until you toss in the part about a hunt for a Nazi War criminal! In reality, it has a "this is so crazy it just might work" kind of feel to it. I'm sort of skeptical on this one, but hearing a pudgy middle schooler ask for an Arcade Fire song that's really a Talking Heads song in the trailer probably puts on my Netflix queue at the very least.

The Sabauteur Radio Hour

Remember when you used to make mix tapes to make friends and impress girls? So do I. And, I miss it. Therefore, I bring you the new endeavor from our humble little blog; The Sabauteur Radio Hour.

To kick off my excitement of all things musical in 2012, here is the very first episode of a new podcast type effort I'm calling The Sabauteur Radio Hour. The concept is pretty simple: There are songs I like and some stuff I want to say about those songs. So, that is primarily what happens here.

Along the way, I will attempt to uncover the new, revisit the old and aged and talk about what's going on in music that excites me. In the first installment we check out the new single from the forthcoming Shins LP. I wax poetic about the first LP from Youth Lagoon, wish a happy birthday to a soul legend, mention many times, many bands on the playlist that will also be playing at Coachella, and I'll explain why The Eagles are a far greater scourge on society than Marilyn Manson or Judas Priest.

You can listen or download the Sabauteur Radio Hour here.

The written down version looks a lot like this . . .

Sabauteur Radio Hour | Episode 001

Intro Music | Upside Down - Fela Kuti

Simple Song - The Shins
Options - Gomez
Honey Bunny - Girls
Agent Double-O-Soul - Edwin Starr
Holland, 1945 - Neutral Milk Hotel
It's Real - Real Estate
Santa Fe - Beirut
Daydream - Youth Lagoon
Come Back To Us - Release The Sunbird
Taking It Easy Too Long - Blitzen Trapper
Leave Me Alone - Destroyer (New Order Cover)

Outro Music | The Fool - Neutral Milk Hotel

WATCH: Criterion Releases Blu-Ray Of "Belle Du Jour"

For the last year and change, the esteemed Criterion Collection has been updating much of their vast catalog for Blu-Ray. Most of these Criterion Blu-Ray titles get a digital remastering and have newly included bonus material as well. It's a veritable, if rather expensive to own, treasure trove of important indepent, foreign and classic cinema.

Amongst the slate of January releases is the iconic 1967 Luis Bunuel film, Belle Du Jour starring the mesmerizing Catherine Deneuve. To celebrate the Blu-Ray release of this famous psycho-sexual tale of existential longing, Criterion has issued another in its series of Three Reasons vids. Essentially, these are trailers for their releases that focus on three aspects of a film they love.

In addition to a great visual peek at Belle Du Jour, the Criterion site is now featuring a terrific essay by Village Voice writer, Melissa Anderson on the making of the film and the affect it had on both the star and the director. It's an interesting study of the film fit both for the first time viewer and the seasoned vet who'd like to dig a bit deeper into Deneuve's famous character, the damaged housewife, Severine.

You can watch the video for Criterion's Belle Du Jour: Three Reasons below.

RECIPE: Beef and Bean Chili With Buttermilk Corn Bread

Photo by Matthew Carlson. Bowl and plate designed and hand crafted by Wayvie Ceramics.

CHILI RECIPE

Ingredients:
3 Pound Boneless Bottom Round Beef Roast (cut into half inch cubes)
1 Large Spanish Onion (diced)
8 Cloves Garlic (roughly chopped)
3 Jalapeno Peppers (cut in half lengthwise with seeds removed)
32 oz. Beef Stock
28 oz. Petite Diced Tomatoes (canned)
15 oz. Black Beans (canned)
15 oz. Light Red Kidney Beans (canned)
48 oz. Pinto Beans (jarred or canned)
12 oz. Bottle American Pale Ale Style Beer
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
6-8 Shots Picante Style Hot Sauce
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roasted Ground Cumin
Cayenne Pepper
Red Chile Powder
Salt

Directions:
Place the cubed beef in a large mixing bowl and add 6 to 8 shots of the hot sauce, 2 tbsp. of the cumin, 1 tbsp. of the chili powder, 1 tbsp. of chili powder, 1 tbsp. of cayenne pepper and a couple large pinches of salt. Mix the ingredients by hand until all the beef is covered in the seasonings.

Place a large Dutch style oven or a heavy stock pot on the stove top burner over high heat. Add the olive oil and wait until the oil is hot. Then, add the seasoned beef to the hot oil and brown evenly over the heat. Do not cook this all the way through. Simply brown the outside of the meat and then remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon to reserve all of the oil and juices in the pan.Set the meat aside on the counter.

Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion and garlic along with a pinch of salt. Continue to cook over medium heat until it becomes caramelized and soft.

Once the onions and are garlic are caramelized, add the bottle of beer and raise heat to medium-high. Wait until the mixture begins to boil and then add the tomatoes and all three styles of beans. Then return the meat to the pot and top off with the beef stock. If your pan is unable to accommodate all the stock, just fill it to the brim. If your pan is not completely full after adding the stock, just be sure that you can easily stir all of the ingredients. Try to avoid adding any water as it will just dilute the flavor of the chili.

After all of the above ingredients have been added, sprinkle in more seasonings to taste. Start small and add as needed. Let the chili simmer with a a lid set slightly askew for 3-4 hours. After that several hours of simmer time, (Can't touch this . . . ) and  all the flavors have mingled and the liquid has cooked down significantly, take a taste sample for tenderness of the meat and adjust the seasoning according to your preference.

Serve the chili in a small to medium sized bowl and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and some shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Leftovers can be stored in your refrigerator for several days.

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BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD RECIPE

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Butter
2/3 Cup White Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Cup Buttermilk
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Cup Cornmeal
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F. Grease an 8" x 8" square baking pan.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. After butter is melted, remove the pan from heat and stir in sugar. Then, quickly add the eggs and beat until they are well blended. In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir to mix, then add to pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour and salt until the batter is well blended and only a few lumps remain. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Then, cut and serve.

Penguin To Release Huge Collection Of John Steinbeck's Letters

Penguin Books will soon be releasing a mammoth collection of the letters of John Steinbeck, the American author most famous for novels like The Grapes Of Wrath and East Of Eden. Weighing in at nearly 900 pages, the collection covers correspondence from the bulk of the author's life beginning with his early years in California to his final days in 1968 in Sag Harbor, NY.

A noted hater of the telephone, Steinbeck preferred written correspondence. Within these letters, he touches on life, marriage, children, people he both loved and hated and the craft of his own writing.

The Atlantic published a letter from the book that Steinbeck wrote to his son Thom in 1958. It's a beautiful letter from a father to a son about what love means and the advice he gives his son on how to appreciate and embrace the love he has for a young with whom he's fallen in love while away at boarding school.

New York
November 10, 1958 

Dear Thom: 

We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers. 

First -- if you are in love -- that's a good thing -- that's about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don't let anyone make it small or light to you. 

Second -- There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you -- of kindness and consideration and respect -- not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn't know you had. 

You say this is not puppy love. If you feel so deeply -- of course it isn't puppy love. 

But I don't think you were asking me what you feel. You know better than anyone. What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it -- and that I can tell you. 

Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it. 

The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it. 

If you love someone -- there is no possible harm in saying so -- only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration. 

Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also. 

It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another -- but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good. 

Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I'm glad you have it. 

We will be glad to meet Susan. She will be very welcome. But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to. She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can. 

And don't worry about losing. If it is right, it happens -- The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away. 

Love,

Fa

The collection was edited in part by Steinbeck's widow, Elaine, who worked on the project prior to her death in 2003.

This American Life Adapts Live Monologue For Radio

For those of you who are devoted listeners of This American Life, you have likely already heard last week's terrific episode with storyteller, monologist and self-confessed Apple fanboy, Mike Daisey. If you haven't, what your missing is a terrific audio tale of Daisey recounting the story of his love for technology - the products of Apple specifically - and how he came to think in larger terms about where the stuff we use actually comes from.

In the hour of gripping radio that ensues, Daisey tells his first person account of his amateur sleuthing into the sweat shop culture of China. Specifically focusing on a tech manufacturer called Fox Con, Daisey uses an interpreter to find out what life is really like for these workers.  Once he's exposed to the grimy details, he's left figuring how to reconcile his love of technology with his guilt.

The radio program is a shortened and revised version of the one man show called The Agony And The Ecstasy Of Steve Jobs, that Daisey has been performing for some time at New York's Public Theater. Now, Mike Daisey has written a fascinating blog entry that explains some of the steps and procedures of how the radio program was designed and put together. It's an interesting window in to how we get a radio story about a story on how we get our goods. How very meta-meta.

You can listen to the full episode below. After you have listened to the TAL episode, be sure to check out the Mike Daisey blog article on how it all came together.

Heavy Rotation - Week of Jan. 13th

In our new weekly series, I will write about the five records I have been spinning regularly over the last week. There is not an expiration date. The records included can be from any time period at all. All entries are eligible to appear for multiple weeks. In fact, repetition is likely due to the fact that while I listen to a fair amount of music, it's not as much as I'd like to make time for. Also, as some of you may know, we have a vinyl only policy around our house, so as expected, all entries on the list are being listened to via turntable.

Ladies and germs, I give week one of Heavy Rotation . . .

Real Estate | Days
Domino Records | 2011

A little gem of a jangly pop record from this New Jersey outfit. The songs are compact, catchy as hell and damned fun to listen to. The band also seem to have developed a pretty great sense of humor as evidenced by their new video for the forthcoming single for the album lead-off track, Easy.

If you like The Shins, The Fruit Bats or The Byrds, this is probably for you.



Real Estate - It's Real by DominoRecordCo

Youth Lagoon | The Year Of Hibernation
Fat Possum Records | 2011

I just recently posted a review of this terrific debut from 22 year old Boise, Idaho native Trevor Powers. Yet, even after listening to the album multiple times for the review I was still happy to slap it on the deck again the following day. A record that gets more interesting with each successive listen.





Youth Lagoon - Bobby by overmuziek

David Bowie | Low
RCA | 1977

My favorite record of the David Bowie/Brian Eno collaboration. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this LP is its ability to simultaneously be of its time and still somehow timeless. There is a warmth about the recordings that feel like an old blankey you could just crawl right inside. But leave it to Eno and Bowie to also make it seem incredibly pioneering and just plain awesome. It remains one of the very best records of the 1970s. If Blade Runner were a David Bowie record, it would be this one.

Les Paul and Mary Ford | Hits Of Les And Mary
Capitol Records | 1960

What is not to love? There are great songs like The World Is Waiting For A Sunrise, I'm A Fool To Care and How High The Moon. Les Paul (you know the guy that invented the prototypical rock guitar, multi-tracking and about a thousand other awesome musical things you take for granted) is a staggeringly beautiful player. His style isn't just unique or impressive, it's amazing, in that you are amazed by it. You hear it and stop in your tracks even when you've heard the record a dozen times. Mary Ford's vocals are just sweetly heartbreaking. If you think that standards aren't for you, drop the needle on this and listen to yourself start to feel stupid.

Grandaddy | Sumday
V2 Records | 2003

Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the vinyl reissue of Grandaddy's Sumday arrived in my mailbox. Since then, it has been subject to myriad revolutions on the turntable. I have always had a soft spot for this album, but the vinyl reissue was done in all the right ways, and throwing it on the turntable now brings on the sense of sitting down for a beer with an old friend. Jason Lytle's hummable melodies, junkyard production techniques and anachronistic narratives weave together in an album that begs repeated listens.

Guggenheim Offers 65 Books Online For Free

The Solomon H. Guggenheim Museum is now offering 65 art books from its archives online, for interwebs users to read and peruse for free. This move comes just a week before Apple has planned its big "textbook push" announcement at the Guggenheim Museum. The books in the collection include work from artists like Wassily Kandinsky, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Klee, Francis Bacon, Alexander Calder, Edvard Munch and many more.

The interface for the Guggenheim site is very easy to use and at first glance the books available seem very well rendered for use on the web. This idea also seems like a huge leap in getting very expensive art books into the hands of users who are either intimidated on what books they should purchase or unsure of where to begin their own exploration of the art world. Its an idea with a great deal of promise. Hopefully, even more content is forthcoming.

For more details on the project and other great free e-book suggestions, head on over to Open Culture where we first got wind of this story.

Watch The Trailer For Wes Anderson's 'Moonrise Kingdom'

Focus Features today unveiled the trailer for the upcoming Wes Anderson film, Moonrise Kingdom. Written by Anderson and Roman Coppolla, the film marks Anderson's first live action film five years.

The press sheet for the film describes it thusly, "Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, MOONRISE KINGDOM tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore -- and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl's parents. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the boy and girl."

Now, the real question here is whether we'll get the wit and quirky charms of Anderson's first three films (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore and Royal Tennenbaums), or if his rambling and vague tendencies as they've been on display in his last two live action films, The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited. Based on the trailer, it appears it could go either way. The inclusion of Edward Norton, Bruce Willis and Frances McDormand to the Anderson repertory players in the cast is a good sign though.

Moonrise Kingdom opens in limited release on May 25. Watch the trailer below.

Watch The Trailer For The LCD Soundsystem Documentary

Given the Sabauteur predilection for music documentaries, we have to admit some excitement and interest in the forthcoming LCD Soundsystem doc, Shut Up And Play The Hits. Not only is this film a music documentary, but it captures the end of a good band pulling their own plug. This is a phenomenon near and dear to our hearts, as exhibited in our love for end of days indie docs like Tell Me Do You Miss Me and A Good Band Is Easy To Kill.

The film chronicles the final live performance of the band at New York City's Madison Square Garden in April of 2011. Stylistically, the approach appears to be a combination of live footage mixed with LCD frontman, James Murphy talking about the end of the band. Adding to ourgeekish interest in the film, is the fact that Murphy is interviewed in these segments by the terrific cultural essayist and author, Chuck Klosterman.

Shut Up And Play The Hits will make its debut at the Sundance Film Festival later this month. You can watch the trailer below.

Velvet Underground Sues Warhol Foundation

A lawsuit in the New York court system has been filed by former members of the famously groundbreaking, 1960's rock band, The Velvet Underground against the Andy Warhol Foundation. At issue is the proposed use of the iconic banana symbol designed by Warhol that adorned the cover of the Velvet's now legendary debut album.

Warhol was the band's manager and producer during the recording of their first album and designed the cover art specifically for the album.  According to reports, Warhol was given a $3,00 advance for the design of the artwork.

Apparently, upon reading that The Warhol Foundation had been planning on licensing this famous image to Apple, Inc, for use on iPods and iPads, former VU members Lou Reed and John Cale filed suit, claiming that "The symbol has become so identified with The Velvet Underground ... that members of the public, particularly those who listen to rock music, immediately recognize the banana design as the symbol of The Velvet Underground."

The banana image is now entrenched as one of the most famous examples of cover art and of the 1960's album design ethos. And, the band's debut album is the piece of work for which they are most recognized and of which Brian Eno allegedly quipped, "Everyone who bought that album started a band."

The suit also stipulates that the band has requested that the Warhol Foundation cease with further licensing agreements on the grounds that such action is "likely to cause confusion or mistake as to the association of Velvet Underground with the goods sold in commerce by such third parties."

Arcade Fire To Appear On Austin City Limits

According to the Pop Candy blog over at USA Today, Canadian rockers/indie-superheroes/Grammy Awardsters, Arcade Fire will appear in concert on an upcoming installment of the PBS music program, Austin City Limits. The Arcade Fire episode will air on most PBS affiliates on the evening of Jan. 14.

This is just another notch in an impressive belt of recent big name acts to grace the ACL stage. In the very recent past, ACL has aired episodes from Spoon, Coldplay, Gomez, The Decemberists, and the elder statesman of awesomeness, Tom Waits. In addition to that, upcoming episodes from the likes of Wilco, Lykke Li, Fleet Foxes and Florence and the Machine indicate that PBS is working hard to swing their demo to folks other than the Werther's gobblers that have been eating up Season 2 of Downton Abbey.

You can watch a live performance of We Used To Wait mixed with behind the scenes footage in the video below.



Arcade Fire "We Used to Wait" at ACL: Behind the Scenes from Jonathan Jackson on Vimeo.