Garden Party (Lionsgate, 2008)
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Garden Party, just released on DVD after a brief theatrical run, is one of those indie films that kind of meanders through various scenes that don’t really go anywhere. The limited plot features a group of individuals living in Hollywood, trying to make sense of their lives and connect with other human beings on some level. If it sounds like you’ve heard this plot a thousand times before, you have. Only, it was done 100 times better in films like Grand Canyon and Crash. All of the characters bump into one another at various points throughout the film, as if these moments had some import to the overall plot, but they don’t. Instead, these chance encounters feel like devices to make us think how clever writer/director Jason Freeland is. Unfortunately, it comes off as contrived.

The central storyline involves Sally (Vinessa Shaw), a real estate agent who happens upon Todd (Richard Gunn), an artist who is supposedly a sex addict. The only indication we have that he’s some sort of an addict is that he looks at a lot of online porn. Of course, the only reason I’m calling him a sex addict is because the DVD box markets his character as that. It also markets a good-natured Nebraska boy (played by Alexander Candese) as the “dancer,” even though his character never indicates that he wants to dance, and he only actually dances in one scene in the film (one of the most ridiculously staged moments in a movie I have seen in a long time). Sally once posed for some nude pictures and those pictures have shown up on the Internet. When a chance encounter brings Sally and Todd together, he immediately recognizes her because he’s been infatuated with her for years (of course). She tries to get him to sell his house, he reveals he’s seen her naked, she promises sex acts in return for him tracking down the pictures and, man, you get where this is going.

Meanwhile, a group of twentysomethings wanders from scene to scene, hoping the film will end sometime soon so that they can get on with their careers. They include the aforementioned Candese as Nathan, who works for Sally and house sits her stash of dope, Willa Holland as April, a teenager on her own after leaving her home and a lecherous stepfather, and Erik Smith as Sammy, a talented singer pursuing the American dream by trying to become a pop star.

The production value is low-budget and the script is stretched to fill the required number of minutes to make it a feature film (88, in this case). In fact, the script doesn’t even provide enough material, so we’re stuck with long shots of cars driving, wine being poured, or people mingling at a party with no real purpose. It certainly seems that there wasn’t enough footage available to give Freeland any leeway to edit around the weaker performances in the film and tighten the lagging scenes. Either there were scenes shot that didn’t turn out, or Freeland didn’t think the whole thing through before going to into production. Whatever the case, you come away from Garden Party feeling like you’ve missed half of the story. (more…)

Last Saturday, as the latest round of California wild fires burned on in cities nearby our home, we waited anxiously to see whether the Pasadena Marathon would be canceled. For seven months I’d trained for a half marathon, enduring physical pain, spiritual drain and trying to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in a damaged economy. Halfway through the day, we learned that all direct routes to Pasadena from our house were shut down, blocked by the fires and the crews trying to contain and pt out the blazes. With the quality of the air in question, there was a good chance that the race would be postponed or even scrubbed altogether. One thing was for sure; we wouldn’t be driving to Pasadena and spending the night in that lovely city.

Sophie and Jacob were greatly disappointed, as they had looked forward to having a weekend getaway, even if it was just 20 miles south of our home. Yet, even if the half marathon was canceled, a sense of obligation told me that I would be running the next day, whether it was in Pasadena or in our own neck of the woods.

It wasn’t that I’d done all of the training; no, it was that I’d made a commitment to run for the CF Foundation and for all victims of the disease. I’d made a commitment to run for my son. Furthermore, the day the race fell on, November 16^th, was chosen because of its proximity to Jacob’s birthday. I felt it was a sign to be running for CF so close to his special day; it meant more to me. And the truth is I couldn’t go on training. My soul was tired and my shoes had literally broken down. They were on their last legs. So, I decided to map out my own 13.1 mile course, just in case there was no Pasadena Half Marathon the next day. (more…)

Beautiful Ohio (IFC, 2008)
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Chad Lowe has long suffered being the second banana to his brother and his ex-wife. Even though he won an Emmy for his work on ABC’s Life Goes On, (in which, let’s face it, he was second banana to Corky and Kellie Martin), he’s never gained the attention he deserves as an actor. Perhaps this is why he has stepped behind the camera to direct shorts and episodic television. With the confidence he gained from those endeavors, Lowe moved on to movies and his feature directorial debut, Beautiful Ohio, comes out on DVD November 25th. The coming-of-age drama is a strong effort in which Lowe handles both the big-name stars and the unknown actors who star in the film.

Indeed, with William Hurt as one of your central characters, any novice director would run the risk of losing control and having Hurt walk away with the movie. But that is not the case in Beautiful Ohio. Hurt slips into the ensemble seamlessly and actually betters the performances of everyone around him.

The film is set in Cleveland, Ohio, circa 1973. The protagonist is William (Brett Davern), a young boy lost in the shadow of his mathematical genius brother, Clive (David Call). As the film opens, Clive has drifted away from his family; the weight of being a genius has begun to bear down on him. For Clive, math is just something he sees does, he does not believe he is amazing. Meanwhile, his parents gloat over him and the neighbors are endlessly impressed. Still, William’s mother (Rita Wilson) does her best to place the spotlight on William as much as possible. I have never seen Wilson perform as nicely as she does in this movie. He face wears the pain she feels for her younger son and the anger she has toward her husband well. And when she speaks, it’s with a quiet reserve. In this film, the mother is the glue holding the family together and Wilson does an excellent job.

William Hurt is the patriarch of the family and in many ways, he’s as lost as Clive and William. A veteran of war (presumably Korea), he has settled on selling insurance for a living. As he sees the world changing around him and feels that his life is standing still, Simon is desperate to feel alive. Whether it’s listening to Clive’s MC5 records, flirting with his gorgeous, younger neighbor (an effective, albeit underutilized Julianna Margulies) or trying dope for the first time, Simon is like a character lifted from an Arthur Miller play and tossed into a 70’s counterculture movie. Despite the anger bubbling under the surface though, Simon still has a great deal of affection for his boys. In particular, the scenes between Simon and William are funny and moving. (more…)

Back in January, I wrote a special Basement Song column dedicated to my daughter, Sophie, on her birthday.  Tomorrow, November 14, is my son Jacob’s birthday, and I now I want to dedicate something to him.

When it came time to choose a song to focus on, I couldn’t help but return to a number that he and I bonded over recently.  Some of you loyal readers to Popdose may cry foul over using this Gaslight Anthem song twice in less than a month.  See, I reviewed their album in October and actually featured today’s song.  However, it was through my repeated listens to The ‘59 Sound, and the title track of the album, that Jacob became familiar with the song.  When I was contemplating what to say to Jacob for his birthday, this song’s melody kept coming back to me.  I took that as a sign to forgo the tearjerker I was going to write about and keep this post in the rocking spirit of my son.  Thanks for reading.

Jacob,

When thinking of what to write today I contemplated reflecting on your rugged journey into this world. The days you spent in the neonatal intensive care unit, the concern that you needed surgery, the sudden helicopter ride that flew you from peaceful Burbank to the noisy and crowded UCLA hospital,, and finally bringing you home with us just in time for Thanksgiving, yes, a lot happened during the week you were born, so much that much of it is a blur to your father. I spent so much time driving in my car going to and from home to the hospital to your aunt and uncle’s that you’d think I could recall some melody from that period in late 2001. But I can’t.

The more I think about it, though, the more I think this is a good thing. I don’t want to dwell on the heartache or the pain; I don’t want to dwell on cystic fibrosis, or breathing treatments or the number of pills you have to take each day. No, today I just want to say how blessed I am that you’re my son. (more…)

I’m hooked on Torchwood, the BBC’s latest sci-fi drama (a spinoff from their cult hit, Dr. Who). The entire second season has just been released on a five-disc DVD box set. If you’re a fan of shows like The X-Files, Lost, and Heroes, then you should be watching this well-produced show. With humor, grace, and some very emotional moments, the second season of Torchwood is addictive and outstanding television that deserves a larger audience in the U.S.

Created by Russell T. Davies (Queer as Folk, Dr. Who), Torchwood¸ derives its name from the fictional Torchwood Institute in Cardiff, Wales. Working outside the boundaries of the government, this mostly top secret agency’s job is to track down extraterrestrials roaming loose on Earth. See, there is an intergalactic rift in the universe, allowing alien creatures from the far reaches of the universe to slip through time and space and end up in Wales. While this set up may sound a bit preposterous (shades of the Sci Fi Channel came to mind), Davies and company wisely chose to have one of the show’s main characters serve as the eyes of the viewer. She is Gwen, played by Eve Myles (pictured). In season one she joined the Torchwood team and had her eyes opened to the craziness out there in space. In season two, she continues to have a few of those “this can’t be real” moments. However she is also engaged and eventually reveals the secrets of Torchwood to her fiancé, Rhys (Kai Owen). Rhys has taken over the role of the person who most often exclaims “what the hell is that?”

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Five years ago I began a mission running marathons and half marathons to raise money and awareness for cystic fibrosis. I felt helpless. I felt that I wasn’t doing enough for my son, Jacob, in trying to find a cure for CF, and I believed that if I punished my body enough, people would take pity on me and make donations. I soon found that that it didn’t matter so much how many miles I ran, or how many months I woke up at 6 AM to go running — people would make donations out of the goodness of their hearts, because they wanted to help.

I decided to document my journey on a blog. The idea was to keep family and friends informed of not only my training progress, but to keep them up to date on Jacob’s health and to help readers to understand what it is like raising a child with a deadly illness. A longtime Bruce Springsteen fan (Julie would call me a fanatic—I wouldn’t disagree), I chose to call the blog IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND. The title comes from a 1992 Springsteen song of the same name. To me that song represented the idea that should I stumble or fall, someone would be there to boost me up and set me back on course.

“If I Should Fall Behind” originally appeared on Springsteen’s Lucky Town, an album recorded in a burst of creative energy soon after the birth of his first child. The studio version is a gentle love song with a country flavor: acoustic guitars and drums with minimal keyboards. For the accompanying tour, Springsteen transformed it from its basic roots and turned it into a hymn-like celebration. It was the first of many incarnations the song took until it was fully realized in 1999. In ’92, each time he performed the song, Springsteen began it alone, strumming his electric guitar, placing the focus on the opening verse.

We said we’d walk together baby come what may
That come the twilight should we lose our way
If as we’re walkin’ a hand should slip free
I’ll wait for you
And should I fall behind
Wait for me (more…)

Badly Drawn Boy - Thunder Road from Uncut Magazine Bruce Springsteen Tribute Volume 1(2003)
The Knack - Don’t Look Back from Get the Knack (remastered edition) (1979/2002)
John Hiatt - Johnny 99 from One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen (1997)
Patty Griffin - Stolen Car from 1000 Kisses (2002)
Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes - The Fever from I Don’t Want to Go Home (1976)
The Mavericks - All That Heaven Will Allow from What a Crying Shame (1994)
Deana Carter - State Trooper from Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska (2000)
Trisha Yearwood - Sad Eyes from Real Live Woman (2000)
The Smithereens - Downbound Train from One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen (1997)
Ben E. King - 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) from One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen (1997)
Billy Bragg - Mansion on the Hill from Uncut Magazine Bruce Springsteen Tribute Volume 2 (2003)
Sonny Burgess - Tiger Rose from Sonny Burgess (1996)
Thea Gilmore - Cover Me from Uncut Magazine Bruce Springsteen Tribute Volume 1 (2003)
John Wesley Harding - Jackson Cage from One Step Up/Two Steps Back:The Songs of Bruce Springsteen (1997)
The Reivers - Atlantic City from Cover Me: Songs by Springsteen (1984)
Johnny Cash - Highway Patrolman from Johnny 99 (1983)
Dion - Book of Dreams from Deja Nu (2000)
Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris - Across the Border from Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions (1999)
Bruce Springsteen - I Ain’t Got No Home from Folkways: A Vision Shared (1988)

Birthday wishes: I’ve never given much credence to the old “make a wish and blow out the candles” bit simply because most of my wishes, my birthday wishes, never came true.  I don’t hold a grudge against the almighty birthday gods or fairies or whomever grants these silent pleas — it’s just that I’ve never felt their power touch me.

My whole life I’ve felt pretty blessed.  I was raised by two strong, independently thinking, sometimes stubborn parents who protected me from the harms of the world they could control. A roof over my head, food in my belly, good schools and support in what I wanted to do with my life, they were there for me.  They were not perfect, but I believe they did their best.  Whatever grudges I held as a young adult have faded now; what’s the point in being bitter.  From childhood to the day Julie and I loaded the U-Haul and drove to Los Angeles, they were my shelter, that’s for sure.  To be blunt, I wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t decided to have a child number three 39 years ago.

While my mom and dad gave me my start, I wouldn’t be who I am now if it weren’t for one person: Julie.  From the moment I first kissed her to this point in time, as we’re raising two children and facing many of the same struggles so many other people do, we continue to grow together, loving, laughing, sometimes fighting, sometimes hurting each other, but always standing side by side through the good and bad.  She is my foundation; she is my shelter. (more…)

Certain albums deserve to be heard outside the confines of small headphone speakers and cranked through the stereos of traveling cars speeding down the freeway.  The ’59 Sound, the sophomore release from New Jersey’s the Gaslight Anthem, earns this classification through 12 songs of heartland rock and roll that make it one of the most exciting records released this year.

From the opening scratch of a turntable needle touching down on well-loved vinyl, The ’59 Sound proudly declares that this record is seeped in the sounds and traditions of classic ’60s soul, ’70s classic rock, and the garage band DIY punk music of the early ’80s.   The music of the Gaslight Anthem recalls the Clash, the Replacements, and, in particular, their Jersey forefather, Bruce Springsteen.  Indeed, with this fervent collection of songs, both wonderfully melodic and just this side of polished, the Gaslight Anthem builds on the redeeming promise of rock and roll whose groundwork was laid in the rainy streets of London, the frozen tundra of Minneapolis, and the swamps of Jersey.

The ‘59 Sound is full of the images of broken hearts, shattered dreams and untimely deaths.  Yet, percolating beneath the surface is a sense of hope and determination.  This comes through from the band pouring their soul into playing passionate rock and roll music that contains the intricate details of the burdens placed on the shoulders of everyday, ordinary people. The Gaslight Anthem plays with the precision of guys who have been out on the road for over a year, building their reputation.  With limited funds to produce their record, every note counts, every take is precious.  And it shows in the way bassist Alex Levine and guitarist Alex Rosamilia riff off of each other and the manner in which drummer Benny Horowitz attacks the beat.  Finally, front man Brian Fallon sings each note with the conviction and feeling of his idols, including not only Springsteen, but also Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. (more…)

The Whomobile was a 1978 Oldsmobile Delta 88 rustbucket my dad  purchased in 1984. By the time I got around to driving it in 1985, its roof was covered with Bondo to fill the gaping wounds that allowed water to drain into the passenger seats. One spring day, during the end of my sophomore year, I asked my father if I could paint a flag on the roof of the car. The idea was a whim and I doubted he would agree. To my surprise, he asked which flag.

Visions of “Dukes of Hazzard” filled my head and I suggested the Confederate flag. He immediately said “no.” You see, he had taught in Georgia during the ’60s, and the racism he saw firsthand still left a sour taste in his mouth. That flag was an ugly reminder of the past and he wasn’t about to drive around town with it painted on his car. Thinking fast, I spat out “How about the Union Jack?” He thought a moment. “The flag of England?” I shrugged, sure. He curled his lower lip in approval and simply said, “okay.” It took me a couple of weeks to complete the paint job. It wasn’t perfect, but close enough. The Whomobile was born.

I have to give credit to my close friend, Sally, who gave the car its name. For more than a year, that rusting piece of metal on four wheels drove through town with the Union Jack and the question, “Who Are You?” painted in 12-inch letters on the trunk. My dad never complained or asked me to cover it up; I personally believe he got a kick out of being seen in it. Perhaps it made him cool. I’d like to go on to describe the many crazy adventures that took place in the Whomobile, but the truth is, there weren’t that many. Mostly, it was “the car,” a symbol of individually amongst my friends. It was a part of my image and became a symbol of who I was. And yes, I liked the thought of being perceived “cool.” Trust me, I was not. (more…)