Skeleton Boy

Friendly Fires 'Skeleton Boy' by Clemens Habicht from Nexus Productions on Vimeo.

If you know me at all, you should know by now how much I love Friendly Fires. They're three British dudes who I will stand behind, regardless of whatever football club they have allegiance to-that's saying a lot. Anyway, those blokes recently finished their video for "Skeleton Boy" and boy, is it a doozy. The track is actually is one that I skip on a regular basis, not because it's terrible, but it's been placed in the middle of two of my favorite songs. But seriously, this is one of those videos that makes the song sound better. Remember when that type of video used to come out regularly? I can't be the only one that does.

Bonus video of Friendly Fires' cover of Frankie Knuckles' "I Need Your Love" after the jump. Dudes cover house songs, whowouldathunkit?

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Made in U.S.A.

Made in U.S.A., Godard's awkwardly titled (or translated) 1966 film is finally making its ways to our shores this month. The film, made immediately after Masculin/Feminin, never got an official U.S. release due to some legal issues. The film can be considered a rarity even in the post-"be kind, rewind" era as it hasn't been available on TV, VHS or DVD out here either. Angelinos can catch the film for one week only at the NuArt theater. Rialto Pictures, the U.S. distributor of this release, has cut an appropriately self-reflexive and post-modern trailer-with Anna Karina looking pouty and Jean-Pierre Leaud appearing to do what he normally does-which can be seen here.

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All Work And No Play...

I was watching The Shining the other day before I tuned into the "The Bachelor" (seriously) and I was struck by how weird that film is. To clarify, I've always regarded it as a genius piece of work and it's what first got me interested in the cult of Kubrick, but goddamn, that movie is weird. Perhaps it's just the performances of the actors or maybe it was just the novel idea of someone actually wanting to marry Shelley Duvall, but something just wasn't right in the Overlook Hotel. Anyway, someone was clever enough to publish Jack Torrance's-Jack Nicholson's character-novel and sell it as a tangible item. Congrats to Jack. I know there were moments while I was writing where I wanted to chop people in half with an axe, so it's good to see the dude up on it.

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The Auteurs

While social networking seems to aim to be all-inclusive, there are certain moments where one can let loose their inner snob and lord their impeccable taste over others. While The Auteurs doesn't explicitly aim to give you an opportunity to do so, they do lay the groundwork for the bold and troll-y to act a fool if they wish. The site-currently in a public beta-is one part Hulu, one part Facebook, with an emphasis on high cinema. No streaming of Weekend At Bernie's here, dudes. They have partnered with the Criterion Collection to show films in online "festivals" for free, while other films can be streamed for a small nominal fee. Of course, there is a section to post reviews and list your favorite auteurs, perfect for contrarians or for those looking to meet and get recommendations from like-minded people. I've included a link to my account on the Web Presence section for those that want to link up.

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Notorious

I must admit, I winced at the thought of this project. A Biggie biopic directed by the dude who did Soul Food and Men of Honor? Whowouldathunkit? Over recent months, this project has been getting a decent buzz and now the people over at Flux as well as Nike Sportswear are showing it at The Montalban before it gets it's general release. It's been a good minute since I've hit up that venue, but I think I'm going to this one. Even if the movie blows, at least you can get free Belvedere drinks. Head here to RSVP and make sure you go to the theater early to get a seat. And maybe a drink or two.

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Flight of the Conchords + Daedelus.

While I always talk about SNL Digital Shorts having been a decent stopgap in between seasons of Conchords, I can't help but feel elated to see the folk duo from Middle Earth come through with their second season. Folks in LA will have a chance to check out an episode or two early, as there will be a free screening over at the National History Museum. Daedelus will also be there-to do a set, not just to watch-as well as free food and beverages. I hope by "beverages" they mean "booze". There's only so much sideburn I can handle sober and Jemaine and Daedelus seriously push my limit. RSVP here. It's 18 and over, so find something else to do youngins.

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Scion House Party

Get your right foot ready for some stomping, kids. I hesitated posting this at first, but since it's YACHT-related, I might as well do it. Scion is continuing its House Party series this month with a free party over at The Roxy. YACHT, on a seemingly never-ending tour, will be performing as well as a couple of acts from DFA Records. Normally, I would hype that up a bit more, but since they didn't book Holy Ghost!, they can go fuck themselves. Regardless, it should be fun. RSVP here and make sure to get there early because admission is based on capacity.

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Blind Buy: Reprise.

Drop what you're doing right now and watch Reprise. It's been forever since I've blind bought a DVD, but a recent trip to Best Buy proved fruitful because I picked up this Norwegian film. Joachim Trier-kind of related to Lars Von Trier, but not really-follows the post-Dogme Scandinavian trend of taking the French New Wave aesthetic and perfume commercial preciousness and blending them into some sort of sublime post-modern reflection on love, youth, angst, and identity. Let's just say I haven't walked away from a film feeling this good about the medium since watching Christoffer Boe's similarly bold and equally Scandinavian Reconstruction. While you might not come out of it feeling the same way, I'm sure you'll be at least inspired to go out and buy Fred Perry shirts, Cheap Mondays, and Joy Division records on vinyl.

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Abandoned Set of The Wire

File this under: "shit, cool". LJ blogger, thehoodwatch, recently shot photos of the abandoned set of HBO's The Wire. I'll say this is a convergence of interests, as it combines my obsession with abandoned spaces and the truly transcendent television series. If you're a fan of either, check it out over here. There are some spoilers, so if you haven't seen the damn thing, watch it and then click through.

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Nite Jewel @ Tiny Creatures

Nite Jewel, the Los Angeles-based lo-fi Italo artist (whaaaaaaat?), will be performing at the Tiny Creatures closing event this Saturday. If checking out an artist who's going to blow up like Mickey Rourke's cheeks isn't enough to get you interested, the gallery will, as always, be showing a lot of art by people of a nice pedigree who have somehow gravitated towards Tiny Creatures. Check it out and support, even though the space is shutting down, I think it will be more of an Irish wake vibe than a hanky fest.

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