Features

I was originally planning on publishing a mid-year Top 10 list for movies of 2009 as cousin my Best Songs list, but after thinking about it, I decided such a compilation would be dishonest. To me, a film’s appearance on any type of Top 10 list – even one constructed halfway through the year – implies an earnest recommendation, and if I told you that I earnestly recommend 10 distinct movies that have already been released thus far this year, I’d be lying. Not that I’m lamenting the state of cinema in 2009; given that Hollywood studios systematically backload their release schedules more than the Yankees back-loaded Derek Jeter’s contract, it’s only fair to assume that the best of the year have yet to come (in my Top 10 list of 2008, eight of the 10 selections were released in the latter half of the year). Nor am I denying that I’ve already watched a fair number of perfectly decent movies this year; in fact, of the 28 films I’ve seen in theatres thus far, I at least enjoyed roughly two-thirds them. But with apologies to entertaining, well-made fare such as The Brothers Bloom, Coraline, The Hangover, I Love You, Man, The Soloist, Star Trek, and State of Play (sadly, I’ve yet to see The Hurt Locker), none of those perfectly respectable films dazzled me enough to warrant a Must-See label. Unlike these three. When I say that the following three films are Must-See, I mean that literally: You must see these films. Until you do, your life will be incomplete. I am a happier, more fulfilled human being for having experienced these movies. And that’s that. (Note: The jury is still deliberating on whether Michael Mann’s Public Enemies is a Must-See film. We intend to return a verdict following our second viewing of the picture. Thank you for your patience.) Read More

My buddy Brian – a music aficionado if there ever was one – once told me, “Any joker can make one or two catchy songs … it’s so much more difficult to make a cohesive album that is strong from start to finish”. He’s right. That’s why ever since I finally joined the iPod revolution 16 months ago, I’ve been listening to albums in their entirety rather than shuffling through songs from different artists.

That said, there’s something rather irresistible about combing through singles, sampling the best offerings from different bands in a short span. Besides, it’s easier – it might take me months to decide just how much I admire a particular album, but I can get sucked in by a single as quickly as anyone.

Which is why the Manifesto’s mid-year analysis of music is focusing on singles rather than albums. Frankly, I’ve legally purchased (as far as you know) so much music this year that I haven’t yet had sufficient time to parse everything, so any attempt at a “Best Of” album list at the year’s halfway would be pure folly. But I can say, with some degree of certainty, which individual songs have stood out to me through the year’s halfway point. Read More

For what it’s worth, I plan on posting a retrospective of all of the March movies I’ve seen. Unfortunately, with Adventureland being pushed back to April 3, you’ll have to wait a few days before hearing the Manifesto’s prestigious thoughts on Duplicity, I Love You, Man, and other features (although anyone who missed my brilliant, bloated analysis of Watchmen can examine it here). But for the record, I’m mystified by the new release date for Adventureland. Assuming it was done for box-office reasons (it’s not like they needed to tweak with the editing, right?), would you rather your teenage-oriented movie compete against Monsters vs. Aliens (a family-friendly kiddie movie) or Fast & Furious (an actioner marketed squarely to the same teen demographic)? If anyone out there has an explanation for this, by all means clue me in, but when Fast & Furious pulls in $50 million this weekend and Adventureland struggles to crack double digits, Miramax will have itself to blame.

(On the plus side, the buzz for Adventureland is growing increasingly positive. It’s hard to say which I’m more excited about this weekend, the release of the movie or my fantasy baseball draft. O.K., it’s the draft, but still, I’m pumped for Adventureland, and you should be too.)

Anyway, Adventureland aside, the best word to characterize April’s theatrical release schedule is feeble. As someone who unashamedly adores movies (even, God forbid, modern movies), I generally refrain from gloom-and-doom pessimism, but it’s difficult for even the most hearty theatregoer to approach April with more than minimal enthusiasm. Sure, there are a few films I’m excited to see (three, to be precise), but I had to struggle just to fill out a top five, which is severely discouraging. (I couldn’t in good conscience include James Toback’s documentary Tyson or Dito Montiel’s Fighting – Toback is a hack, and Montiel’s first movie, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, annoyed me.) Furthermore, the gargantuan shadow of May looms, when the blockbuster season officially begins and my teenage soul gets revved up, so it’s hard not to look past spring’s opening month.

Nevertheless, there’s always the possibility that I’m unaware of an upcoming release or that a movie will exceed my expectations, so I’m not hanging my head just yet. Regardless, here are the Manifesto’s five most highly anticipated releases of April – as always, sound off in the Comments about what you’re excited to see. Read More

One of my favorite parts of writing the Manifesto in years past was when I would break from Oscars’ analysis and look ahead to the upcoming summer season (or, as was the case in 2007, the entire year), attempting to forecast the hottest pending theatrical releases. Forgive my leanings toward divination, but there’s something exciting about gazing into the unknown. It’s not really about prognostication – I’m not interested in showcasing my predictive prowess regarding which films will be hits and which will be duds. It’s more about building anticipation. One of the marvelous things about movies is that you never know when you’ll next see a great one, and it’s fun to peer into the future and question just when and what that will be.

Of course, in the past, I could only perform this ritual of cinematic stargazing once a year, as the Manifesto was issued annually to coincide with the Oscars. Now, however, I’m the author of this fancy, ever-evolving blog and am no longer subject to the tyranny of that ceremony; in fact, I can write about whatever the fuck I want, whenever the fuck I want. It’s quite liberating, really. Read More

When I was a senior in high school. I made my first ever mix CD. This wasn’t a romantic gesture for a girl (although, er, that might have happened at a later date) but just a way to consolidate some music that I liked. Fifteen tracks long, it included such erstwhile hits as Don McLean’s “American Pie”, Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl”, and Tom Petty’s “Free Falling”. In addition to a thoroughly enjoyable compendium of songs, the CD (which eventually grew to possess the imaginative title of Beck Mix I) also functioned as an indicator of sorts, a beacon broadcasting one unavoidable fact: I knew absolutely nothing about popular music.

This wasn’t really my fault. Growing up, the dinner-table music at my house generally alternated between Rossini, Dvorak, and Les Misérables. I never listened to the radio. I never bought CDs. Short of hearing popular songs featured in movies (the first time I heard The Who’s “Baba O’Reilly” was when I watched Almost Famous in 2000), I suffered no exposure to the corrosive, addictive influence of pop music. Read More