This morning, I am feeling the same general impulses as last week. Whether it’s the first week of a new year, or the last of the last, there seems to be a powerful tug to trying to put everything in its place, be it with lists or grand pronouncements. But at the end of the day, I’m not sure that the intended action achieves the intended result. I mean, opinions are like, well, you know. And who is to say that Monty’s opinion is any more or less valid than the next asshole. Kidding. On any given day, I have found that Monty’s opinion is more AND less valid than the next guy. That’s why he’s an apt and affable wingman on the radio show.
Speaking of grand pronouncements from on high, check out this A-Hole in the Dallas Morning News, complaining about how musicians license out to mega-brands. The main example was Santogold, and dude is quick to marginalize them as sellouts, which I guess. If I am being completely honest, it’s actually a pretty well-written article and actually has some decent points-of-view. And I probably shouldn’t call dude an a-hole…I retract that. But here’s my take. The world is changing, and with it all the 20th Century business models and a rethinking of multiple revenue streams. If artists are able to bypass endentured servitude, and deal with the machine on their own terms, and put food on the table with honor and dignity, I am say “You Go Boy/Girl.” And in the light of day, the notion of “selling out young” feels very 1991 to me, IMHO.
This time of year is very frustrating to the average Joe, blue-collar cineaste, who wants to be a part of the discussion of the film zeitgeist this time of year (or at least an informed fly on the wall). It seems like a big chunk of the films being bandied about aren’t even on Austin’s dance card. Hell, I get to attend a fair amount of press screenings, and I still haven’t seen a lot of them. So in the interest of keeping it egalitarian, I am only going to talk about films that came out earlier in the year today. Sure, I loved Synecdoche and Slumdog…those feel like singular films that will be among my favorites for a long time. But what do you do with Australia, Doubt, etc. It’s hard to decide where they fit in the discussion, when it’s virtually impossible to have seen all the films they are being discussed alongside. As such, here are my favorite films—little films that coulda and shoulda—which came out before Labor Day in 2008: Son Of Rambow, The Fall, and In Bruges (I have seen Martin McDonagh as one of the most important voices of our generation since I stumbled onto The Lieutenant of Inishmore on Broadway in July, 2006). I’ll revisit in a few weeks (hopefully before the Oscar/Spirit Awards weekend). Can’t believe that The Golden Globes are next week.
