Four straight weeks of four day weeks


This Thursday I'm taking off for LA and getting back Monday night. Then all of a sudden it's Christmas and New Years? Is this for real? I still feel like October was a week ago. And summer was the lead in to that. I guess the weather staying relatively warm the last few months helps, but it still seems fast.

This weekend I saw Morning Theft again at Luna Lounge, who put on just about the best set I've seen them play. Afterwards we headed over to go check Out Hud, who was great, tho the long songs made the set seem short. Totally different seeing them live compared to the MP3s I got. It was the first show they've played together in about a year, and the place was as packed as I had ever seen it. I overheard some British guy whisper to his friend that he felt like he was watching the Happy Mondays all over again, which should be seen as the ultimate compliment for a band like this. I hope they stick around and play more often. I'd go see them again for sure.

Tonight I went to go see this movie called Tarnation, which had recently sparked my interest after a buddy of mine from college sent me the trailer. By total coincidence, I noticed today it was still playing one late show at my favorite local ultra-indie theatre, Cinema Village on 12th and University. This place makes Sunshine and The Angelica look like multiplexes in Paramus.

The movie is not so much a documentary as it is a collage of photos, film, and songs from filmmaker Jonathan Caouette's life. He's filmed everything that has happened to him since he was 11 years old, from his mentally disturbed mother to moving from Houston and setting up life in New York as he got older. It's quite an accomplishment, and is a pretty interesting chronicle of this guy's messed up life, despite the fact there's no real plot or point to the whole thing. He just very artistically lays the whole thing out there for you to see. I liked it a lot, tho it's by no means a picker-upper. Tough to watch at times...especially him filming his grandmother post-stroke and his mom after her Lithium overdose. But for the alleged cost of $218 it took to make, it's an incredible effort. There is also an absolutely fantastic soundtrack, using songs by The Magnetic Fields, Iron and Wine and Low, along with some amazing original compositions. Certainly worth seeing, if for no other reason than to reassure yourself your life isn't nearly as bad as you think it is. I don't know how long it's gonna be playing around here, but it's definitely worth checking out. Below is the trailer and an MP3 of the classic title theme.

Max Avery Lichtenstein - Tarnation(right-click, Save)

Watch the Trailer (Quicktime)

He's got a blog too, but for now it's mostly used as a promotional tool for the movie.