Happy Birthday to the Prince of Darkness, Peter Suschitzky. This second-generation cinematographer (his father was camera operator for the original 'Get Carter') got his nickname for pulling off scenes such as the Luke/Vader duel in 'Empire Strikes Back':
Suschitzky's the first cinematographer I learned to associate with a film, with the help of a hundred shouting fans. His first Hollywood film was the 1975 cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", and his name in the opening credits has spawned a popular callback. He also shot a good looking film:
(This is a enjoyable shot scene, fourth wall broken and all. I'd intentionally left it off the Tim Curry tribute, but didn't realize I'd get the chance to use it again...)
His "Empire" work put him on the radar of David Cronenberg, who lost his long-time cinematographer to the 80's remake of 'The Blob'. Cronenberg tapped Suschitzky for "Dead Ringers", the beginning of a collaboration that's lasted over 20 years and 8 films. Here's a scene from the underappreciated eXsistenZ (recommended Not Safe For Work... or within an hour of eating...)
Their next team-up, a sequel to Eastern Promises, is scheduled for release in 2011. Besides Cronenberg, Suschitzky's also worked with John Boorman(Where the Heart Is), Tim Burton(Mars Attacks!) and Randall Wallace(The Man in the Iron Mask).
Showing posts with label NSFW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NSFW. Show all posts
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
July 15
The first thing I can say about Millie Jackson is she's NSFW. Hearing Millie do what Millie does best requires that warning, because she 'tells it like it is...'
She's got a fine singing voice, sounding more than a little like Gladys Knight. And she's certainly not the first to sing the kind of soul music that's a long way from Sunday morning. But what really makes her stand out is what she does between the lyrics: maybe it's the breakdown, maybe it's the intro, but there's a moment in her song, on the way to the song, where she starts talking to the audience, shining a light on the hundreds of stories finding shelter within that song... These moments have become her forte.
One of her signature songs, "If Loving You is Wrong", got her two Grammy nominations. "If..." was more successful on the charts for soul singer Luther Ingram, and it was also more successful for country artist Barbara Mandrell. But while she only made it to #42 on the pop charts, her version is the definitive one because she steps aside of the song and redefines it:
Performances like this particularly resonate with a live audience, when the singer strolls up to the song and points to the strings that tie the singer and the people in the crowd to a musical moment, a lyric that speaks a common truth in their lives. Singers like to do this, to get some call-and-response from the audience and sometimes to cover for a quick tech repair or bathroom emergency for one of the other band members. But Millie Jackson really made it an art unto itself.
On the net, she's more legendary for her tasteless album covers. They've become something of a meme for reminiscing about the golden age of vinyl.
As for Ms Jackson, she managed almost 40 R&B singles in the 70's and 80's, 6 in the top 10. She also had a duet with Elton John that was a hit in England, but didn't cross the pond:
She was a drive-time DJ in the Houston area for the following decade. Also in the 90's, she wrote and produced the play "Young Man, Older Woman", which was a hit on the urban theater circuit. Her daughter's also in the music business, singing with Eryka Badu.
She's got a fine singing voice, sounding more than a little like Gladys Knight. And she's certainly not the first to sing the kind of soul music that's a long way from Sunday morning. But what really makes her stand out is what she does between the lyrics: maybe it's the breakdown, maybe it's the intro, but there's a moment in her song, on the way to the song, where she starts talking to the audience, shining a light on the hundreds of stories finding shelter within that song... These moments have become her forte.
One of her signature songs, "If Loving You is Wrong", got her two Grammy nominations. "If..." was more successful on the charts for soul singer Luther Ingram, and it was also more successful for country artist Barbara Mandrell. But while she only made it to #42 on the pop charts, her version is the definitive one because she steps aside of the song and redefines it:
Performances like this particularly resonate with a live audience, when the singer strolls up to the song and points to the strings that tie the singer and the people in the crowd to a musical moment, a lyric that speaks a common truth in their lives. Singers like to do this, to get some call-and-response from the audience and sometimes to cover for a quick tech repair or bathroom emergency for one of the other band members. But Millie Jackson really made it an art unto itself.
On the net, she's more legendary for her tasteless album covers. They've become something of a meme for reminiscing about the golden age of vinyl.
As for Ms Jackson, she managed almost 40 R&B singles in the 70's and 80's, 6 in the top 10. She also had a duet with Elton John that was a hit in England, but didn't cross the pond:
She was a drive-time DJ in the Houston area for the following decade. Also in the 90's, she wrote and produced the play "Young Man, Older Woman", which was a hit on the urban theater circuit. Her daughter's also in the music business, singing with Eryka Badu.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
July 9
Don't know if I've written about a That Girl yet, but here's one: Pamela Segall/Adlon. The slash is there because she actually has three or four name permutations she's been credited with.
She started her acting career in the 80's, most notably on the Facts of Life for a season and a half. She played Kelly the shoplifter, and the girl who could out-Jo Jo:
While she continued appearing on TV shows (Wiseguy, Redd Foxx) and movies (Say Anything, Ford Fairlane), Segall was really hitting her stride in voice work. She could hit that tough-cute vocal tone that says 'scrappy kid hero', so she found work on several cartoons, including Recess, Rugrats, Teacher's Pet, and King of the Hill, for which she won an Emmy.
Married in the 2K's, she now gets credited as Pamela Adlon. As of this writing, she can be seen on the TV series 'Californication' and she can be heard in those direct-to-video Tinkerbell movies. But here's a funny scene from the overlooked series Lucky Louie:
She started her acting career in the 80's, most notably on the Facts of Life for a season and a half. She played Kelly the shoplifter, and the girl who could out-Jo Jo:
While she continued appearing on TV shows (Wiseguy, Redd Foxx) and movies (Say Anything, Ford Fairlane), Segall was really hitting her stride in voice work. She could hit that tough-cute vocal tone that says 'scrappy kid hero', so she found work on several cartoons, including Recess, Rugrats, Teacher's Pet, and King of the Hill, for which she won an Emmy.
Married in the 2K's, she now gets credited as Pamela Adlon. As of this writing, she can be seen on the TV series 'Californication' and she can be heard in those direct-to-video Tinkerbell movies. But here's a funny scene from the overlooked series Lucky Louie:
Sunday, June 6, 2010
June 6
Happy Birthday to Dwight Twilley: he's a practicioner of power pop, a genre that always loved the radio more than radio loved the genre (see: Badfinger, Big Star, The Knack, OK Go.)
Raised in Tulsa, OK, Twilley met fellow Beatles fan Phil Seymour at a screening of "A Hard Day's Night" in 1967. They started writing songs together and playing them out as the band Oister. They made the trip to Sun Studios, ingesting the rockabilly rhythm into their sound. They moved to LA and signed to a label that renamed them the Dwight Twilley Band. Almost without trying, they got their first top 20 single "I'm On Fire". That turned out to be the apex of the band's success; label interference (they didn't release the second single "Shark" because they didn't want to piggyback on the success of "Jaws"... what?) and difficulties (first album delayed almost a year, second never released, label sold and resold) wore the band down to pieces.
By 1978, the band was broken, and Twilley had a solo career... and it's his return to the charts that I remember. In 1984, I was 10 years old and a bit of a troll, which didn't bother me so much at the time. And yet there was something missing which I couldn't explain, until I discovered cable television, and MTV, and Night Flight, and Dwight Twilley's "Girls" (this might be the NSFW version:
I can't be certain if I actually saw the unedited version or not; the only copy I have on VHS is the 'dialectic' version, which re-edited the video with clips from Eisenstein and 30's exploitation films. Also, don't remember the video using a girl to lip-sync Tom Petty's vocals in the video. But that video got me on the road to years of late night viewing, whether it was all-night Marx Brothers marathons, weirdo cartoons, schlock sci-fi or the vibrating Rorscach tests that were unscrambled Skinemax broadcasts...
As for Dwight Twilley, "Girls" was his last top 40 hit. The digital revolution finally rolled things his way, with most of his recordings finally seeing daylight in the 00's. In 2009, he even released a Beatles covers album.
Here's a couple of other tracks. The first is "Why You Gonna Break My Heart", his other top 20 hit (released just before "Girls".) The audio is the studio recording, overlaid on a performance on "American Bandstand"...
...and this is just one more song I liked.
Raised in Tulsa, OK, Twilley met fellow Beatles fan Phil Seymour at a screening of "A Hard Day's Night" in 1967. They started writing songs together and playing them out as the band Oister. They made the trip to Sun Studios, ingesting the rockabilly rhythm into their sound. They moved to LA and signed to a label that renamed them the Dwight Twilley Band. Almost without trying, they got their first top 20 single "I'm On Fire". That turned out to be the apex of the band's success; label interference (they didn't release the second single "Shark" because they didn't want to piggyback on the success of "Jaws"... what?) and difficulties (first album delayed almost a year, second never released, label sold and resold) wore the band down to pieces.
By 1978, the band was broken, and Twilley had a solo career... and it's his return to the charts that I remember. In 1984, I was 10 years old and a bit of a troll, which didn't bother me so much at the time. And yet there was something missing which I couldn't explain, until I discovered cable television, and MTV, and Night Flight, and Dwight Twilley's "Girls" (this might be the NSFW version:
I can't be certain if I actually saw the unedited version or not; the only copy I have on VHS is the 'dialectic' version, which re-edited the video with clips from Eisenstein and 30's exploitation films. Also, don't remember the video using a girl to lip-sync Tom Petty's vocals in the video. But that video got me on the road to years of late night viewing, whether it was all-night Marx Brothers marathons, weirdo cartoons, schlock sci-fi or the vibrating Rorscach tests that were unscrambled Skinemax broadcasts...
As for Dwight Twilley, "Girls" was his last top 40 hit. The digital revolution finally rolled things his way, with most of his recordings finally seeing daylight in the 00's. In 2009, he even released a Beatles covers album.
Here's a couple of other tracks. The first is "Why You Gonna Break My Heart", his other top 20 hit (released just before "Girls".) The audio is the studio recording, overlaid on a performance on "American Bandstand"...
...and this is just one more song I liked.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
June 3
Today's a good day to remember the most famous woman in Montreal, Lily St Cyr, the burlesque star that taught Marilyn Monroe how to be sexy. Born Willis Marie Van Schaack, she studied ballet in her youth, which led to work on the chorus lines of the Hollywood stages. She hustled for her time in the spotlight, accumulating a collection of creative stripping routines like "The Wolf Woman", "The Flying G", and "Jungle Goddess".
She became a major sex symbol in the 40's and 50's, at the height of the burlesque scene. She was a frequent feature in the tabloid, for her romantic exploits as much as her scandalous performances (she married six times.) After she retired from the spotlight, she established a lingerie business for strippers and strippers-at-heart; she personally modeled most of her products in the store's catalogs and magazine ads.
(Elvira established her trademark look with the support of a Lily St Cyr undergarment.)
St Cyr passed away just before the 20th century did, but her good vibrations continue to inspire the sexuality of today. How out of place would she be today with an act like this:
She became a major sex symbol in the 40's and 50's, at the height of the burlesque scene. She was a frequent feature in the tabloid, for her romantic exploits as much as her scandalous performances (she married six times.) After she retired from the spotlight, she established a lingerie business for strippers and strippers-at-heart; she personally modeled most of her products in the store's catalogs and magazine ads.
(Elvira established her trademark look with the support of a Lily St Cyr undergarment.)
St Cyr passed away just before the 20th century did, but her good vibrations continue to inspire the sexuality of today. How out of place would she be today with an act like this:
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
June 2
Happy Birthday to the perennially underestimated Wayne Brady. Dude has more skills than he knows what to do with. That's probably why he first got the world's attention on "Whose Line is it Anyway?" It could change from episode to episode whether Ryan Styles or Colin Mochrie was funnier, but nobody could keep up with Wayne Brady on on sheer talent.
Since the show ended, he's been everywhere, seeing what sticks. The powers that be tried to give him his own show, which started as a variety show (like all those 70's celebrity specials) then became a Regis-style talk show. He kept winning Emmys, but the show got cancelled, anyway.
He's started and stopped enough projects for a dozen stars. He's had his share of TV pilots, TV movies, and guest appearances in practically every genre on TV. He's recorded several albums, plus a weekly Vegas show. He's on his third (or fourth, I've lost count) game show hosting gig, doing the relaunch of "Let's Make a Deal."
One I didn't know was him: he wrote and song the theme to one of the better cartoons of the last few years, "the Weekenders."
So why isn't Wayne Brady taking over the world? Is it because everybody's expecting him to sing, dance, and be funny every time they see him? Or is he so cool to everybody that it's not cool to like him? Does he just seem too, well, nice?
Maybe he's holding back...
Since the show ended, he's been everywhere, seeing what sticks. The powers that be tried to give him his own show, which started as a variety show (like all those 70's celebrity specials) then became a Regis-style talk show. He kept winning Emmys, but the show got cancelled, anyway.
He's started and stopped enough projects for a dozen stars. He's had his share of TV pilots, TV movies, and guest appearances in practically every genre on TV. He's recorded several albums, plus a weekly Vegas show. He's on his third (or fourth, I've lost count) game show hosting gig, doing the relaunch of "Let's Make a Deal."
One I didn't know was him: he wrote and song the theme to one of the better cartoons of the last few years, "the Weekenders."
So why isn't Wayne Brady taking over the world? Is it because everybody's expecting him to sing, dance, and be funny every time they see him? Or is he so cool to everybody that it's not cool to like him? Does he just seem too, well, nice?
Maybe he's holding back...
Thursday, May 27, 2010
May 28
Happy Birthday, Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens... her proper name, from her knighted husband. In Great Britain, she's been a TV regular for decades, guest starring on such BBC mainstays as "I, Claudius," "Minder," and "Dr Who". She's stayed just as active on the West End stage, with a career just shy of 40 years. Her second most memorable performance might be as Mrs Williams, the Sex Ed Instructor's wife in "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life."
As to the first... First, let me mention that Lady Patricia is a former Playboy Bunny; not one of the magazine models, but a former floppy-ears-and-corset wearing employee of the Playboy Clubs, back when they were world-wide and top of the line. Even today, she's a stunner of a redhead; she looks like Susan Sarandon, but with well-rested eyes.
And then, there are the lips...
Lady Patricia's lips are among the most celebrated and adulated in cinematic history (sorry, Angelina.) Let's clear up about "Science Fiction Double Feature": the movie opening has Richard O'Brien's voice, but it's Lady Patricia's lips mouthing them, drawing the audience in. She actually sang the opening in the original stage production, but the movie producers preferred O'Brien's less vampy version.
Since I never turn down an opportunity to share some Rocky Horror:
As to the first... First, let me mention that Lady Patricia is a former Playboy Bunny; not one of the magazine models, but a former floppy-ears-and-corset wearing employee of the Playboy Clubs, back when they were world-wide and top of the line. Even today, she's a stunner of a redhead; she looks like Susan Sarandon, but with well-rested eyes.
And then, there are the lips...
Lady Patricia's lips are among the most celebrated and adulated in cinematic history (sorry, Angelina.) Let's clear up about "Science Fiction Double Feature": the movie opening has Richard O'Brien's voice, but it's Lady Patricia's lips mouthing them, drawing the audience in. She actually sang the opening in the original stage production, but the movie producers preferred O'Brien's less vampy version.
Since I never turn down an opportunity to share some Rocky Horror:
Saturday, May 15, 2010
May 16
Hell yeah! It's Danny Trejo day! He's the most exciting That Guy to graduate to movie star since Samuel L Jackson. The most amazing thing to me is the fact that he's eligible for AARP membership.
He's also a good example that the movie business is all about who you know, all about networking. In the early 80's, he met someone in his 12-step support group in the movie business, who got him a job as an film extra. (The film would be called Runaway Train.) On the set, the film's screenwriter recognized Trejo from when they did time in San Quentin; he got Trejo promoted to boxing trainer for one of the film's actors. Those sparring sessions impressed the director enough to boost Trejo to a larger speaking role - and that is how a career in movies begins.
Speaking of who you know, he's apparently cousins with Robert Rodriguez, who's given him his best roles, including his topliner, "Machete". Incredibly, it started as a gag trailer in "Grindhouse", a trailer too awesome not to be made real:
He's also a good example that the movie business is all about who you know, all about networking. In the early 80's, he met someone in his 12-step support group in the movie business, who got him a job as an film extra. (The film would be called Runaway Train.) On the set, the film's screenwriter recognized Trejo from when they did time in San Quentin; he got Trejo promoted to boxing trainer for one of the film's actors. Those sparring sessions impressed the director enough to boost Trejo to a larger speaking role - and that is how a career in movies begins.
Speaking of who you know, he's apparently cousins with Robert Rodriguez, who's given him his best roles, including his topliner, "Machete". Incredibly, it started as a gag trailer in "Grindhouse", a trailer too awesome not to be made real:
Thursday, April 22, 2010
April 22
Here's somebody I hope to discover today: Johnnie To. I've actually seen one of his early films, The Heroic Trio, but I couldn't tell you what makes his films his.
My filmmaking friend, on the other hand, swears by the guy; when most of the hot Hong Kong Directors of the 90's (Wong Kar Wai, Ringo Lam, John Woo, etc...)started using their visas, To hunkered down and kept making movies in his hometown. Ten years later, he practically was the Hong Kong movement.
He's recognized as proficient in a multitude of genres, from gangster films to romantic comedies, and he's won a couple dozen awards for his efforts.
I found this Veoh page assembled by a Johnnie To fan, with a few subtitled films of his; you can find more on the internet, if you're up on your Cantonese. Meanwhile, here's the R-rated (and potentially NSFW) "Mad Detective":
Watch Mad Detective in Entertainment | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
My filmmaking friend, on the other hand, swears by the guy; when most of the hot Hong Kong Directors of the 90's (Wong Kar Wai, Ringo Lam, John Woo, etc...)started using their visas, To hunkered down and kept making movies in his hometown. Ten years later, he practically was the Hong Kong movement.
He's recognized as proficient in a multitude of genres, from gangster films to romantic comedies, and he's won a couple dozen awards for his efforts.
I found this Veoh page assembled by a Johnnie To fan, with a few subtitled films of his; you can find more on the internet, if you're up on your Cantonese. Meanwhile, here's the R-rated (and potentially NSFW) "Mad Detective":
Watch Mad Detective in Entertainment | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Monday, January 25, 2010
January 25
Call me Leroyski, 'cuz I'm still rushing to find a good net connection. Meanwhile, consider the wisdom of poet John Cooper Clarke, bard of the punk movement. Here's his rant, "Chickentown":
Sunday, January 10, 2010
January 11
I'll admit it; sometimes, I'm a slave to the audience. Maybe it's this deep-seated need for approval that drives me, but if I can write up about somebody that'll interest any of my audience - all 3 of you - then I'll do it.
And so, it's time for filmmaker Darren Lynn Bousman to blow out the candles. He first tried to break into Hollywood as a screenwriter, but the script he was shopping around was rejected for being a "Saw" clone; when the "Saw" filmmakers found out, they approached him about reworking the script into a "Saw" sequel. Voila; "Saw II".
Bousman got the director's chair next, for "Saw III". And before he would accept a job on "Saw IV", he shepherded his dream project: a film adaptation of the underground stage play "Repo!: The Genetic Opera". (And that, friends, is why we're talking about him today.)
Currently, he's scheduled to helm remakes of Mother's Day and Scanners. Meanwhile, here's a scene from one of Milady's top 5 musicals...
And so, it's time for filmmaker Darren Lynn Bousman to blow out the candles. He first tried to break into Hollywood as a screenwriter, but the script he was shopping around was rejected for being a "Saw" clone; when the "Saw" filmmakers found out, they approached him about reworking the script into a "Saw" sequel. Voila; "Saw II".
Bousman got the director's chair next, for "Saw III". And before he would accept a job on "Saw IV", he shepherded his dream project: a film adaptation of the underground stage play "Repo!: The Genetic Opera". (And that, friends, is why we're talking about him today.)
Currently, he's scheduled to helm remakes of Mother's Day and Scanners. Meanwhile, here's a scene from one of Milady's top 5 musicals...
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