Casbah Bartender Gets Fanboy, A Rock and Roll Thriller, Up on Amazon Prime! Rent or Own It Now!

 

Casbah Bartender Gets Fanboy, A Rock and Roll Thriller, Up on Amazon Prime!

Five years ago, Casbah bartender/bar manager/co-owner Ben Johnson talked his fellow short film makers into making a feature length film. Luckily they didn’t know how large of a task it would be. After two years of filming and almost three years of editing, Fanboy was born, selling out 5 screens at the South Bay Drive-In in San Diego in January and February. 

Fanboy has been accepted onto Amazon Prime streaming platform, and is now available for rent or purchase. 

What I'm Reading & Watching

What did the cormorant say to the sea lion??

I have had a hell of a weekend. We went snorkeling, chilled out, hung out for my dad's 71st birthday, and I thought it would be low-key and I would get ahead of email and social posts for work and get caught up when, BAM!, I got a FINAL NOTICE from Photobucket that they're switching to a subscription based model and all photos over their free limit would be deleted by Monday, September 9th. I wouldn't have noticed, to be honest, because my original account is linked to an email that is just chock-full of spam which I never read. So I missed months of such notifications. However, I had a second account affected, too, which is when I took it seriously. More of my woe-is-me  tale after the jump (and actual stuff I'm reading and watching)

Rosey's Read & Watch List

St. Vincent in San Diego 1.27.2018 - GRAMMY winner a year later

Like so many people pondering Facebook these days, I was wondering if I'd be better off reverting back to the days when all my whims and thoughts were shared here on sddialedin.com instead of on Facebook or social media in general. I love getting Voice of San Diego's weekly review and so I started kinda bookmarking some things I've been reading and noting what I've been watching. I don't know if I'll keep doing it here, but for today, this is what I'm gonna do. In all honesty, I've been stewing on a post like this for a few weeks (months?), but my keyboard is finally fixed, I got a new power cord for my laptop, so my excuses for not writing are diminishing. All of it after the jump.

“DOCUMENTED” Opens in San Diego; Writer/Director Q&A After Select Screenings

90 minutes. According to MTV President Stephen Friedman, who introduced “Documented” at a screening in New York City last week, that’s all we need to move forward the conversation.

"No matter how you feel about the immigration debate now,” he said, “I guarantee you'll see it differently 90 minutes from now. And that's the hallmark of a great story."

“Documented” is my story, and I now share it in San Diego -- where almost 200,000 people are undocumented.

If you happen to watch Real Time, Jose Antonio Vargas was on tonight and his film, Documented, is screening this week in San Diego, including some Q&A sessions after a few of the showings. I just bought a ticket to Saturday's showing at 5:30pm if anyone cares to join me.

Here's more info:

“DOCUMENTED” TO OPEN IN SAN DIEGO FOR ONE WEEK LIMITED ENGAGEMENT
Writer and Director, Jose Antonio Vargas to be present at select screenings for Q&A.

(San Diego, CA) - “Documented,” a project of Define American, begins its one week theatrical on May 23, 2014 at the Reading Cinemas Gaslamp 15 in San Diego. Following several screenings, Writer and Director Jose Antonio Vargas host Q&A discussions with local community groups.

WHO: Jose Antonio Vargas, Writer and Director, “Documented”, panelist

WHAT: One Week Limited Engagement Theatrical Release of “Documented” in San Diego
Writer and Director Vargas to host several post-screening Q&A sessions

WHERE: Reading Cinemas Gaslamp 15 (701 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101)

WHEN: Limited Engagement Theatrical Run - May 23 to 29, 2014
In-Person Q&A after showings on
Saturday, May 24, 2014, 5:30 PM and 7:40 PM
Sunday, May 25, 2014 5:55 PM and 8:00 PM

NOTE: Tickets can be purchased here.

Define American, founded by Jose Antonio Vargas in 2011, is a media and culture campaign using the power of story to transcend politics and shift conversation around immigration, identity, and citizenship in America. You can learn more at www.defineamerican.com.

About “Documented”:
Vargas began working on the documentary shortly before “outing” himself as undocumented in a groundbreaking June 2011 New York Times Magazine essay, “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant.” Sent here from the Philippines at age 12 by his mother to live with his grandparents - naturalized citizens - in Mountain View, CA, Vargas found out he was undocumented when he was 16. "Documented" follows Jose as he travels around the country, speaking to people across America and sharing his personal experience in order to spark an honest dialogue about immigration and the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US today. The film also explores his relationship with his mom - whom he hasn't seen in person in over 20 years.

CNN Films acquired the North American broadcast rights to “Documented” in November 2013, before its international premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam and following its world premiere at the AFI Docs festival in Washington, D.C. in June 2013.
"Documented" is a project of Define American, and executive producers include Sean Parker, Matthew HIltzik, Liz Simons, Scott Budnick, Janet Yang and Kevin Iwashina. "Documented" is the inaugural film by Apo Anak Productions, created by Vargas in honor of his grandparents and mother. In Tagalog, Vargas' native language, "apo" means grandchild and "anak" means "child." For more information, please visit: documentedthefilm.com.

OTR Movie Recommendation: Detachment

If you pay attention to my site, you know a lot (read: too much) about me. You know that I go to shows almost every night of the week. I love live music and occasionally deviate to go to a play, the opera, or on occasion, sometimes I actually stay in. Film is something different entirely, and though I have expanded cable and HBO, I see fewer movies than most of my peers. In fact, after two years without going to the movies, it was only recently that I started going again. I don't have Netflix and I only recently started renting from Redbox. It isn't that I don't enjoy good movies, it just seems the good ones are so few and far between that I have a hard time devoting two hours with a medium where I am not interactive at all. I can't sit still without wanting to look at my Twitter feed or surf the web or explore Facebook  

I've made a greater effort to keep up with movies of late, and recently I dug The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Young Adult,  and Like Crazy. Still, none of these left me feeling  quite as affected as I did when I watched a screener of Detachment.

Director Tony Kaye’s (AMERICAN HISTORY X) long-awaited film DETACHMENT stars Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody as Henry Barthes, a substitute teacher who conveniently avoids any emotional connections by never staying anywhere long enough to form a bond with either his students or colleagues. A lost soul grappling with a troubled past, Henry finds himself at a public school where an apathetic student body has created a frustrated, burned-out administration. Inadvertently becoming a role model to his students, while also bonding with a runaway teen who is just as lost as he is, Henry finds that he’s not alone in a life and death struggle to find beauty in a seemingly vicious and loveless world.

This is not a film about the underdog school turning things around, nor does it offer a fix for failing educational policies or how to save these really fucked up teens. As Mr. Barthes, Brody (as sexy as ever, even when he's not supposed to be) gives an intense performance of a man with demons of his own while constantly being confronted by the demons of everyone in the world around him. Still there's some feeling of connectedness in realizing that everyone around us is as damaged as we are. Misery loves company.  He finds connection in the least likely of people and though there's certainly not a triumphant feel good moment in the film, the grit of it makes the analytical documentary style interview moments interspersed in the film feel all the more real and authentic. I'll also note that while the film sticks to crisp dialogue, the one song used in the film is "Empty" by Ray LaMontagne which feels like it was made for this film. (see it in the alternate trailer after the jump)

The film is available in limited release in theaters in select cities. In San Diego, the film opened on March 30 at the Reading Cinemas Gaslamp 15 and is also available through video on demand.

RE:GENERATION Mixes Things Up

It is no secret that I tend to steer clear of electronic music. When I get email that says "remix" anywhere in the subject, they go largely unread and certainly not listened to. Chase has recently started writing about some of these things...dub and DnB and such because- I know I'm gonna sound just like my mom- but to me it all sounds the same and I don't like it. But sometimes I try. I went to IDentity Festival last year, have seen Crystal Method a grip of times, and while watching the GRAMMYS, tried to embrace that Skrillex, after performing at Petco Park last year, is probably someone to pay attention to (even if the 130bpm set rejects him as their representative.) I get that it is a cultural phenomenon and by many predictions, the future of music. Though to the initiated, that's probably like when people say "with the advent of the internet" after we've all been online for 20 years. In large parts it can be argued that is the present of music. I still believe in a voice & a guitar, but I find the culture shift fascinating nonetheless, even if I shake my head and mutter, "kids these days"...

That said, I was given the opportunity to screen a documentary called RE:GENERATION. The film is largely supported by the GRAMMYS foundation, so it is worth bearing in mind, but I found the film to be completely intriguing. The premise is this: take five producers, give them a genre to explore, have them assemble musicians within the genre and create something brand new out of something old. Mark Ronson was assigned Jazz, Pretty Lights got Country, Crystal Method got R&B/Motown, Skrillex got Rock, and my personal favorite, DJ Premier was given Classical.

The film documents the learning and exploration by each producer as they delve into their genre, scouring record stores, meeting people with expertise in the genre. While Skrillex worked with The Doors and Mark Ronson worked with Erykah Badu, Trombone Shorty, and the Dap Kings, they didn't seem to require such a stretch of imagination that it took for DJ Premier to work as an actual conductor with the Berklee School of Music or Pretty Lights trying to get Dr. Ralph Stanley to deliver a song the way he wanted. ("I'd rather just do it my way.")

The film follows the entire recording process, and in the end, the tracks are revealed, edited with studio footage and festival footage of the "live" debut, including some scenes of Skrillex at Petco Park from last fall and The Crystal Method at last summer's IDentity Festival at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater.

The film is screening in select cities, including San Diego, this Thursday, February 16 and if you're a fan of music of ANY genre, I promise this is a documentary that will open your eyes and ears.

Get ticket & showtime information here. 

Poway Creekside Plaza 10
13475 Poway Road
Poway, CA 92064

Mission Valley Cinemas
7510 Hazard Center Drive
San Diego, CA 92108

Mission Marketplace 13
431 College Boulevard
Oceanside, CA 92057

San Clemente Cinema 6
641 B Camino de los Mares
San Clemente, CA 92673



More information and videos from all of the final songs after the jump.

Produced in association with The Grammys, the film looks at the history, songwriting and studio process of different musical genres through the eyes of five of the most influential electronic producers/DJs in music today, who write and record a brand new track with a grouping of influential collaborators in that genre. The tag line for the film is “5 DJ’s Turn the Table of the History of Music.” The stories of these five DJs are documented in RE:GENERATION.

In the film, current five-time GRAMMY®-nominated artist Skrillex heads into a Los Angeles studio with members of the iconic rock band The Doors to collaborate on a new song, “Breakn’ A Sweat.” Meanwhile, The Crystal Method touched down in Detroit to work with Martha Reeves of The Vandellas and The Funk Brothers on the R&B number “I’m Not Leaving.” Mark Ronson created a southern brew of New Orleans jazz in “A La Modeliste” that boasts a veritable all-star cast of Erykah Badu, Trombone Shorty, Mos Def, Zigaboo Modeliste and Members of The Dap Kings. DJ Premier tapped NAS and Boston's very own Berklee Symphony Orchestra for his “Regeneration,” and the documentary culminates in Nashville on the dusty, intergalactic twang of Pretty Lights' "Wayfaring Stranger" featuring vocals from LeAnn Rimes and Dr. Ralph Stanley.

DJ Premier — Classical — “Regeneration” (with NAS and the Berklee Symphony Orchestra)



Pretty Lights — Country — “Wayfaring Stranger” (with Dr. Ralph Stanley and LeAnn Rimes)



Mark Ronson — Jazz — “A La Modeliste” (with Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Trombone Shorty, members of the Dap Kings and Zigaboo Modeliste)



Skrillex — Rock — “Breakn’ A Sweat” (with members of The Doors)



The Crystal Method — R&B — “I’m Not Leaving” (with Martha Reeves of the Vandellas and the Funk Brothers)

Free Movie Tonight: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

I'm sure you've seen all the commercials about Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, starring Michael Sera of Superbad and Arrested Development and what better than a movie with a couple kids on the hunt for a secret show in New York City?

The soundtrack is phenomenal and the movie is screening for FREE tonight at the AMC in La Jolla. E-mail me and I will send you the .pdf ticket for you and a guest to catch the flick. (You'll need a printer for the ticket) As always with screenings, seating is limited and on a first come first served basis. sddialedin AT gmail DOT com.

“NICK & NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST:

ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK”

(ATLANTIC)

In Stores And Online September 23rd

1. Chris Bell – “Speed Of Sound”
2. Devendra Banhart – “Lover”
3. Bishop Allen – “Middle Management”
4. Vampire Weekend - Ottoman”
5. The Dead 60s – “Riot Radio”
6. Takka Takka – “Fever”
7. The Submarines – “Xavia”
8. We Are Scientists – “After Hours”
9. Band Of Horses – “Our Swords”
10. Army Navy – “Silvery Sleds”
11. Richard Hawley – “Baby You're My Light”
12. Shout Out Louds – “Very Loud”
13. Paul Tiernan – “How To Say Goodbye”
14. The Real Tuesday Weld – “Last Words”
15. Mark Mothersbaugh – “Nick & Norah’s Theme”

Free Movie Tickets to see Nanking

(sorry for the press release)

Lou Reed has recently written a couple of fantastic new songs (”Safety Zone” and “Gravity”) inspired by the film, Nanking, a really moving documentary about the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China during World War II. Nanking premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2007 and was the winner of the 2007 Sundance Documentary Editing Award.

The story is told through emotional interviews with Chinese survivors, archival footage, and chilling testimonies of Japanese soldiers, interwoven with staged readings of the Westerners’ letters and diaries as performed by Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway, Jurgen Prochnow, and Stephen Dorff, among others.

The film will be released in San Diego on February 1 for a week-long run at Ken Cinema.

I've got two pairs of tickets to see the film anytime between Feb 4-7.
Send an email to divebarchick AT gmail DOT com with your first and last name, phone number, and e-mail address.
Enter today, I will notify the winners after 6 pm tonight.

Listen to the Lou Reed tracks here.

Feast Of Love

I received a soundtrack in the mail today. The soundtrack is for "Feast of Love" and comes from the same 'tastemakers' who brought the soundtrack for "The Last Kiss" and "Little Miss Sunshine". I've read reviews of the movie that say shit like, "all too familiar" and "seen it all before" but being obsessed with movies like "Reality Bites" and "Beautiful Girls" and "Love Actually" and "Singles" (all of which I can watch on repeat until my bloodhshot eyes tell me to stop), I'm okay with the same old story of love and loss and life and blah. Then I play the soundtrack and hear Morgan Freeman saying the following:

There is a story about the Greek Gods.

They were bored, so they invented human beings.

But they were still bored, so they invented love.

Then they weren't bored any longer, so decided to try love for themselves.

And finally, they invented laughter, so they could stand it.

Anyone wanna go see a movie today? Maybe follow it up with a meal at the new Burger Lounge that opened in Kensington on Wednesday? Sounds like a dream day to me.

Oh, and by the way, that soundtrack has so many amazing artists... Z-Trip vs Run Run Run doing Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You", Travis, Cary Brothers, The Frames (remember the movie "Once"?), Rocco DeLuca, Jeff Buckley, Pete Droge, M. Ward and on and on. Isn't the soundtrack alone worth it???