Back Stage: A Very Good Movie Weekend, Including 'Middle of Nowhere'

This week's Back Stage column is full of choice offerings, and I'm not just saying that because four of the six films I reviewed are at least partly set in Los Angeles. Argo is solidly entertaining, but I also got a big kick out of Seven Psychopaths and Smashed. (Even Here Comes the Boom is better than expected.) But I'd like to draw your attention to the low-budget gem Middle of Nowhere. It's probably the lowest-profile film in this week's column, but it may be the best of the bunch. Read on for more info.

'Shut Up and Play the Hits' Comes to DVD

Shut Up and Play the Hits chronicles LCD Soundsystem's final concert, but more than that, it dives into the mindset of front man James Murphy as he wrestles with his decision to end the band. The concert footage is great, and the portrait of an artist is great, too. The movie arrives on DVD on Tuesday, so if you had been curious to check it out, now's your chance. I wrote about the film for this week's IFC Fix column.

(P.S. If you've seen the film, you're perhaps aware of one intensely crying audience member during the LCD show that the directors linger on a bit. Well, the kid's become somewhat famous, as this video clip/promotional item explains.....)

Your Buddy Ben Affleck

With Argo about ready to come out, I decided to write about the remarkable, unlikely comeback that Ben Affleck has orchestrated over the last half-decade. Be honest: After Gigli, how many people thought he'd be in line for an Oscar nomination for Best Director? My piece is up at Deadspin.

(P.S. As an added bonus, here's the first part of a short Affleck directed back in 1993: I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney. To be clear, I haven't watched it yet, so there's always a chance there's some objectionable material in here.)

Roxy Music - "Avalon"

Like many people, I've long lamented the fact that MTV doesn't play videos anymore. But why? Were videos in and of themselves incredible works of art? Oh sure, some were: I could list a dozen examples easily, and I'm sure you could list a different dozen. But a lot of times, they were like the clip for Roxy Music's "Avalon," a song I deeply enjoy. The "Avalon" video isn't bad, but, like a lot of videos from the era, it tries incredibly hard to sorta tell a story and kinda create a mood. And it ends up looking like a perfume commercial anyway.

Back Stage: Oh, That 'Paperboy'

This week's Screen Grab is live at Back Stage, but right now I'd like to take a moment to single out The Paperboy, a movie that got horrible reviews out of Cannes. I was wholeheartedly prepared to enjoy the film for its trashy, sleazy vibe, but, well, I couldn't get there. Better this weekend to spend your time watching quality work like Wuthering Heights and The House I Live In.

'Taken 2' Review

Liam Neeson! Liam Neeson! Liam Neeson! My review of Taken 2 is up at Deadspin.

'Wuthering Heights' and Andrea Arnold

Director Andrea Arnold has made three films, each of them distinctive and resonant. Her latest, an adaptation of Wuthering Heights, impressed me greatly when I saw it in Toronto a year ago, so I was looking forward to seeing it again closer to its release. I was just as enthralled the second time. For IFC Fix, I discuss what makes Arnold's films so special.

(P.S. This was, I believe, the very first still made available to the press last year when Wuthering Heights was playing the fall festivals. I love this, in part because its murky, bleak mystery just feels appropriate to the film.)

Django Django - "Default"

I felt like hearing something peppy. So here you go....

'9.79*' and the Return of ESPN's "30 for 30" Series

"dying to find out sports fans are so full of themselves that they call those 60-minute ESPN 'Behind The Music'-but-sports things 'films'"

-- Tweet from Christopher Weingarten, music critic

I have to assume he's referring to my piece up today on Deadspin where I sing the praises of ESPN's "30 for 30" series. A new batch of films start up in October, and I've seen one of the installments, 9.79*, already. At this series' weakest, yes, they're nothing more than fun, slick nostalgia trips. But the better ones are much more than that. Here's my piece.

Back Stage: Thrown for a 'Looper'

I'm less a fan of Pitch Perfect than some people are, so my pick of the weekend is Looper. Both films are part of the latest installment of my Screen Grab column over at Back Stage, as are my reviews of Hotel Transylvania, The Other Dream Team and Won't Back Down. You can read the whole thing here.

'Glengarry Glen Ross' Is 20 Years Old

Glengarry Glen Ross is certainly in the running for best films adapted from plays. I can't quite believe that the film came out October 2, 1992 -- 20 years ago -- but when you watch Alec Baldwin from that opening monologue now, well, it starts to feel like it really was 20 years ago. To celebrate the film's anniversary -- and to note the forthcoming Broadway revival -- I wrote a little appreciation for Deadspin. Hope you like it.

You Should See 'How to Survive a Plague'

How to Survive a Plague, a documentary about ACT UP's battle in the late '80s and early '90s to raise awareness for AIDS research, opened on Friday in select cities, but it's coming to VOD on September 28. I think it's definitely worth seeking out, as I explain in my IFC Fix column.

'Trouble With the Curve' Review

My thoughts on Trouble With the Curve? It swings and misses. It fails to clear the fences. It gets some runners on base but fails to score. It doesn't throw enough strikes. OK, alright, enough bad baseball metaphors. My review is up at Screen International.

My Top 20 Albums of the Last 40 Years

My beloved KEXP is celebrating its 40th anniversary by asking its listeners to pick their Top 20 albums of the last 40 years. In other words, what do people think are the best albums of the post-Beatles/Kind of Blue era? For the fun of it, I decided to vote and, like with my Sight & Sound ballot, I opted for quick, intuitive picks rather than laboring over my selections. In both cases, I feel like I got to something purer -- and, hopefully, more honest -- than if I had allowed second thoughts to cloud my process. KEXP didn't ask for these to be ranked, so I won't bother doing that here. Instead, they'll be listed alphabetically by album title, with a few stray observations where appropriate...

Appetite for Destruction, Guns N' Roses
Nothing any of these people have done since came close. 

Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan
Confirmation that I'm a sap at heart, Blood on the Tracks cuts me deeper than Dylan's '60s masterpieces. Opens with "Tangled Up in Blue," possibly his greatest song. Concludes with "Buckets of Rain," also possibly his greatest song. Such a magnificent album even the so-so "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" can't derail it.

Born in the U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen
I've been told that if I was from another generation, I'd understand that Born to Run is really Springsteen's best record. Maybe, maybe not.

Call Me, Al Green
Never-ending beauty.

Chutes Too Narrow, The Shins
More thoughts on this album here.

The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
I'm the furthest thing from a stoner or a concept-album fanatic. And yet I love this record.

Endtroducing..., DJ Shadow
For the record, he's made good albums after this one.

For the Roses, Joni Mitchell
Not a popular choice among Mitchell fans, who would probably cite Blue or Court and Spark. I prefer the challenging arrangements and thoughtful anxiety of For the Roses, which she put out in between the other two.

I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, Sinead O'Connor
Lord, do I worry for the sanity of this talented woman.

Illmatic, Nas
I slept on Illmatic when it came out. I'm making up for it by playing the hell out of this album throughout my adult life.

In Utero, Nirvana
Why, yes, I am one of those guys who thinks this is the better Nirvana record. Just as catchy as Nevermind but even angrier and confused. Probably the greatest dealing-with-fame album ever.

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy
Friends have made convincing arguments about why Fear of a Black Planet is PE's true masterpiece. For now, I'm sticking with this one.

Marquee Moon, Television
I always swear I'm going to just listen to "See No Evil." And then I listen to the whole thing.

Never Mind the Bullocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, Sex Pistols
The Clash have the greater legacy, but none of their albums is top-to-bottom as corrosive as Bullocks.

OK Computer, Radiohead
Remember when people claimed this was the '90s' answer to The Dark Side of the Moon? Wow, were they dumb.

Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan
My favorite band who don't have one indisputably perfect album. There's a Steely Dan record for every mood, but I went with Pretzel Logic because, when push came to shove, it's the one that called to me the most.

Ramones, Ramones
My biggest surprise in the Top 20, mostly because I don't listen to it all that much. But, c'mon, how can you argue with its bam-bam-bam-bam brilliance?

Rust Never Sleeps, Neil Young
In retrospect, should I have gone with After the Gold Rush? You know, maybe I should have. (Update: Ah, yes, After the Gold Rush came out in 1970, so it doesn't count.)

Sail Away, Randy Newman
12 Songs and Good Old Boys have their champions. Sail Away has less filler.

69 Love Songs, The Magnetic Fields
One day, I will get my wife to understand what a wonderful album this is.

'Frankenweenie' Review

It is a backhanded compliment to say that Frankenweenie is Tim Burton's best films in years. (Yes, even better than Alice in Wonderland!) I've long since tired of the man's visual shtick, but his latest film contains some of his most affecting work in quite a while. Still, it's a bit of a mess. My review is up at Screen International. (And, seriously, the dog's pretty darn adorable.)

Jennifer Lawrence Will Get Over 'House at the End of the Street' Just Fine

I skipped House at the End of the Street, but today for Gawker I decided to do a little status report on the state of her career. Any excuse to talk more about Silver Linings Playbook. My article is here.

Band of Horses - "How to Live"

The new Band of Horses record, Mirage Rock, is out now. (It's pretty darn good.) If I had to pick a favorite track, I'd probably go with this one.

'Dredd' Review

Within the first 10 minutes or so of Dredd, a guy's head melts from the inside. Yeah, I knew this was a movie for me. My Dredd review is up at Deadspin.

In Praise of Joaquin Phoenix

I loved The Master and in particular was impressed with Joaquin Phoenix. This is the best work of his career, which is saying something. For IFC Fix, I look back at some of his past roles and argue how they've shaped his performance in The Master. Here you go.

Toronto 2012: 'Spring Breakers' Is Terrific

I'm fascinated by Harmony Korine's career, which I've discussed before. Even his Trash Humpers, which I couldn't stand, has several disturbing ideas percolating under the surface. Now comes Spring Breakers, which I think is his most complete work. And, yes, James Franco is totally nutso in it. Here's my piece over at Deadspin.