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January 27, 2009

Snow Day!

So I'm working from home, but it's great to be here and not in the middle of traffic!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 5:32 PM | Comments (2)

January 26, 2009

Revolutionary Road

Life in the burbs can be a bitch...a monatone, lifeless bitch. In Revolutionary Road, Frank and April Wheeler, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, find themselves in a managerie of grey suits and fake smiles with a strong hesitancy to live by the rules set before them. They move onto Revolutionary Road in Conneticut and begin life together among other young couples with bright futures. They eventually fall into the same trap, without any spontaneity, just a life with the same routines: taking out the trash, putting on the same clothes, having the same conversations. April is the first to come to this realization and comes up with the idea to pack up the family, kids and all, and move to Paris. They're on their way, until she discovers she's pregnant with their third child. Although April still wants to go, Frank's determination to stay put on Revolutionary Road comes between them in what has to be one of the most heated relationships ever to be seen on the silver screen.

I don't know why Sam Mendes has such a fascination with American suburbia, but he tells those stories well. American Beauty is a beast of a film, and Revolutionary Road does not dissapoint. Mendes has a way of making reality crueler than one is aware of, the yellow, sunny hue throughout the film despite dark and hateful words is one example. The conscience of John Givings, who says what they desire to say, is brutal. With dialogue between the main characters, such as, "You're not worth the trouble it would take to hit you. You're not worth the powder it would take to blow you up. You are an empty, empty shell of a woman," is enough to make Bozo the Clown jump off a bridge. The power of this film is indeed in it's dialogue.
From the opening scene, it is clear that this will not be a happy-go-lucky type of film. There will be blood shed (figuratively speaking), there will be awkward truths of humanity, and there will be harsh words thrown at each other. Despite what I've already said, I resonated with their desires to live with freedom, to keep looking for more, to reach out both my arms and feel. They are both so frustrated with what life has handed them that they've gone mad, and are desperate to laugh, to share, to connect.
As I left the theatre with my friend we discussed how hard marriage might be. We both have friends who are in the middle of divorce. It's almost as if there's no use in trying. (Don't be alarmed people, I want to be married someday, provided the good Lord brings some woman in my life.) If it's true that just as many people within the church separate as outside the church, then the odds are not so great. This movie, while extreme as it is, displays how things can go from bad to really, really bad fast.
Revolutionary Road should have been nominated for best actress and best picture; it's my personal favorite for this awards season. If you are up for a film that will pull you in, that will get your heart pumping and then crush it, if you are interested in thinking about your life, if you enjoy excellent acting and story telling in movies, then go see this film. You won't be dissapointed. Oh, P.S., you should know there are some racy sex scenes, no nudity, just, you know.

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 8:32 PM | Comments (2)

January 25, 2009

Doogie Howser!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 5:45 PM | Comments (0)

SSLYBY in STL

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is playing at the Billiken Club this Tuesday, 9 p.m. The show is free and will be very enjoyable.

If you don't know much about SSLYBY, their second album, Pershing, came out in the spring and received great reviews from the likes of Spin magazine, Pitchfork, Blender, among others. They also had a song on Sweet Chicken's top ten song list for 2008.

Check em' out:

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 5:27 PM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2009

Oh Oscars, You Shouldn't Have!

It seems the academy has decided to hand out some belated holiday gifts to some not-so-deserving movies and actors. Seriously? Meryl Streep in Doubt? Wow! OK. I just thought the academy awards usually went to people who give excellent cinematic performances. Streep's portrayal of a head nun at a Bronx Catholic School, while consistent throughout the picture, is so over-acted that I left the theatre with a desire to cleanse my pallot with Glitter. Although Meryl Streep may be Oscar's queen, her performance leads me to wonder how she got to the throne in the first place. Doubt is an intriguing movie that will pull you in from the beginning, and Viola Davis gives one solid performance as a mother desperately concerned for the well being of her son, however, it was the Keanu Reaves-y performance of Streep that brought the film down a few notches in my book. Sorry voters, you got this one wrong.

I love that Slumdog Millionare got nominated in the Best Editing category. A movie so full of different emotions and contexts to be told in such a short story should probably hand out complementary Dramamine to ticket holders beforehand.

Is anybody out there interested in seeing Frost/Nixon? Why is this movie up for so many stinkin' awards? It's about a former president that gets interviewed. Dude, let me introduce you to Barbara Walters. There have got to be better films to honor.

Why is Revolutionary Road not a Best Picture contender? I went to see the film a couple weeks ago and continue to be amazed at Mendez's work behind the camera. Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Micheal Shannon all give performances that will remain near the top of their resumes. The story, the screenplay, the musical score, the clothing, the set, the cinemetography even...it's all in sink, and incredible. Revolutionary Road will have you longing for connection with others, and to remember to be someone in your community...to be honest, and to love people well. Not gonna lie, the movie's intense...seriously, the theatre was packed from row-to-row, and while the credits passed by we all filed out silently, yet it was a treat to see a movie that makes me think, and continues to make me think today.

Oh, P.S., why is Kate Winslet nominated for The Reader and not Revolutionary Road? Not only that, but how could she be nominated for The Reader in a lead role when she won for the same performance as a supporting actress at the Golden Globes? I'm sure it's a fine performance, I just can't imagine it gets any better than it did in RR...that's all I'm sayin.'

How could they even put Oktapodi in the same realm as This Way Up in the Short Film (Animated) category? Everyone knows that This Way Up is head and shoulders above that cheaply made piece of crap. I'm just kiddin.' Who sees these films?

In addition to gripes and complains, there are also approvals that should be made.

Viola Davis's small, but stellar performance is worthy of a couple Oscars
Heath Ledger, nothing else to say that hasn't already been said a 10 trillion times
Anne Hathaway should win in the Best Actress category...she's screams without making a sound throughout the film, you can feel her pain and guilty conscience

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 8:13 PM | Comments (2)

January 19, 2009

Bear Grylls is the Real Thing!

I love this show as well as others on Discovery Channel, however, my friend showed me this video and it has me thinking differently.

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 7:32 PM | Comments (1)

January 12, 2009

'Slumdog' Kinda Sucks Ya'll

OK people. Here's my thing about Slumdog Millionaire. I went into this movie with high expectations. When I finally got to go see it I was very excited to finally be back in the realms of awards-season movies. The reviews had been off the charts, and I was ready for a new film to make history. Slumdog just didn't do it for me. The juxtaposition of a flashy game show with the torturous interrogation scenes, mixed together with stories from Jamal's life was not cohesive...it was too much for me. The plot was forced and over-the-top. It was like Crash, only worse. I couldn't help but be turned off by the entire cast dancing together in bright colors, actors who played heroes and villains, who were portraying such evils as forced prostitution, slavery, death, and militant groups...I know it's the whole Bollywood thing, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. There were clichés throughout...seriously, we have to hear M.I.A.'s 'Paper Planes' again? Maybe I'm making too much out of the film's badness...the concept was a great idea and original, the scenery was beautiful, all of the film's many issues addressed are crisis' that should be...I just wish Danny Boyle had chosen wisely, and cut out the rest for another project.

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 9:06 PM | Comments (3)

January 10, 2009

Golden Globe Predictions

The Foreign Press will host it's annual Golden Globe Awards tomorrow night, and seeing as how Oscar ballots are to be sent no later than Monday they may have an effect on what the outcome will be for that other awards show. It's amazing how much impact a couple of journalists can have for an actor's career...seriously, there's like 90 people who vote on these. I had a hard time picking...Benj Butt or Slumdog? It's a toss up...Anyway, here's my predictions:
Oh, P.S., these aren't nec. my own favorites...except for Mad Men, that show rocks...

Picture of the Year - Drama
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Picture of the Year - Comedy
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Screenplay for a Motion Picture
Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Lead Performance, Actor - Drama
Micky Rourke - The Wrestler

...could be Leonardo DiCaprio - Revelutionary Road

Best Lead Performance, Actress - Drama
Anny Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married

Best Lead Performance, Actor - Musical or Comedy
James Franco - Pineapple Express

Best Lead Performance, Actress - Musical or Comedy
Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky

Best Supporting Performance, Actor
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Performance, Actress
Amy Adams - Doubt

Director of the Year
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Television Series - Drama
Mad Men

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Jon Hamm - Mad Men

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
January Jones - Mad Men

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
30 Rock

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Tina Fey - 30 Rock

There are other awards given, howev, I figured I would just stick to the most important ones...well, the most important in my mind anyway...

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 8:56 PM | Comments (3)

Lady Gaga Unplugged!

Although Lady Gaga tends to embrace technology and electronica with both arms, not many people know that she's a great piano player, and did I mention she's quite a singer?
I'm posting both the original and the unplugged so you can hear the difference...she's great!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 8:08 PM | Comments (0)

The Disk: Code Zero Premiere!

I'm sure you've never heard me mention it, but I was in a movie that just premiered at the Tivoli. One of my friends, Jeremy Cropf, is in film school at NYU and doing very well I must say. This was the second installment in a trilogy that tells the story of a man that makes a few shady business deals which eventually has him running for his life. You'll have to check it out when it comes to a city near you.
All critics agree, the film was great for college/post-college students. I'll admit it, it wasn't the best movie I've ever seen,(that one goes to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), however, The Disk was very impressive. The plot was exciting and it was fun to watch unfold. The cinematography was clever, the fight scenes and car chases impressive, the original score for the film was both chilling and beautiful and the acting, considering most of us are not trained, was really great. I could have done without the cheesy love story in the middle of an already established Bourne Identity-esque attempt, however, for the most part, I was pleased. There was a twist ending that no one expected with a perfect lead-in for part 3.
Everyone said that out of all the characters in the opening scene my acting was the best!
The Disk will be sent to film festivals across the country in the next couple of months. Keep a lookout!

Here's some pics from the night:

Good friends of mine that came to get my autograph, I mean came to support me:

The director, Jeremy Cropf

Another one of the famed actors in the film, Alan Lamberg

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 7:40 PM | Comments (2)

My Christmas in short

My wife and I bought our first house

I hung out with some serious angels

I went home for the holidays

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 7:29 PM | Comments (4)