8.2.10 My Top Ten RIGHT NOW

1. MOVIE Inception

There is no doubt that I was blown away by the visuals of this film, enough to keep me interested for two and a half hours and work very hard to understand the layers of the dream story.  But when my brain turned back on with the lights as the credits rolled, I couldn’t help but feel unsatisfied.  Much of the script is exposition explaining the machinations of the dream worlds and the central emotional relationship felt completely underdeveloped, save for my natural love of all things Marion Cotillard.  Worth viewing on the big screen, but somehow not everything I needed it to be… B

2. MUSICAL A Little Night Music

I returned to the Walter Kerr Theater to see how two fresh leads would alter an already lovely production of this Sondheim show.  I was left with a big question mark hanging over my head.  Bernadette Peters seems completely lost on stage, with none of the lovely showmanship that won Catherine Zeta Jones her Tony.  Elaine Stritch delivers an off-kilter and pleasurable performance, but the line between her character’s senility and her own was often too blurred for professional theater.  I hope these two stellar women of the Great White Way can pull themselves together as the run continues…C+

3. BOOK Eat Pray Love

I love and hate this book.  Following someone’s highly selfish pursuit through three lands of self discovery is often fascinating and often times speaking a little close to my own emotional issues.  But somewhere in the midst of yet another explanation of enlightenment, I found myself a little lost.  As the author puts it herself, it’s nearly impossible to describe one’s own approaching nirvana.  Which is why I have high hopes for the film, in which I hope they can distill what are many pleasurable bits and pieces of this travel epic into a glorious visual form… B+

4. FOOD Mother Burger

With all the foams and gastro ridiculousness of NYC, it’s easy to forget how good simple food can satisfy.  This place serves up the simplest of juicy burgers, perfectly cooked and covered with an excellent pepperjack cheese.  But what really sets this place apart is the ability to eat outside in a plaza in midtown while sucking down delicious margaritas.  A simple but excellent choice… A-

5. ALBUM Dark Night of the Soul

A bizarre collaboration between Danger Mouse and the late Sparklehorse has provided a deep dark collection of worthy tunes with amazing guest vocals from The Shins, The Strokes, Suzanne Vega, Nina Persson and David Lynch.  With that kind of lineup, you’re bound for intriguing results and this album delivers.  Not always listenable, each track is so well produced that it welcomes the listener into another realm of the soul.  I haven’t quite grasped this one, but I look forward to continuing to listen and understanding… A-

6. MOVIE This Is It

I wasn’t sure I really wanted to see this film, preferring to remember Michael in the perfect form that has graced my iPod.  The thought of incomplete concert footage edited together into a feature seemed dull and exploitative.  While I’m not completely wrong about that, it’s also thrilling to watch the man work.  His ideas are huge, his passion even larger, despite his clear wacky frailty.  I wish Kenny Ortega had a little more panache in his editing, not relying solely on Jackson’s charisma to carry the piece.  Seriously the opening bit with the dancers is the most interesting part of the filmmaking.  All in all, worth a viewing just to realize what could have been… B

7. TV Project Runway

Yet another season has begun, filled with the usual cast of unusuals.  This time around, people seem to be flying their freak flag even higher, pulling together a bunch of designers with more unique, if not beautiful, visions.  I’m willing to go down this path again, because let’s face it, it’s still great TV, but I do worry about lost steam, clearly seen in the overwrought extended first episode in which the cast expressed shock that someone would go home so quickly.  Ummm, that’s the point of the show… B+

8. ALBUM 100 Miles from Memphis Sheryl Crow

Memphis blues should fit very nicely into the musical world of Sheryl Crow.  And many of the tracks are nice, with their amplified soul, but the full listen isn’t exactly rewarding.  Her vocals seem a bit strained and off, and not in the gorgeous and evocative way they were for the very personal Detours.  And that’s just it, while sonically enjoyable, Crow seems completely removed from the music she’s singing.  And don’t get me started on the bizarre cover of the Jackson 5 classic “I Want You Back” in which Crow and Michael might as well have the same voice… C

9. ALBUM Fly Yellow Moon Fyfe Dangerfield

The first track on this album is a bid for pop popularity, and then everything after is gorgeously retro.  Things slow to a ‘70s cool, with deep vocals creating a thrilling hybrid of The National and Midlake with a touch of Damian Rice.  Coming from the awesome band, The Guillemots, Dangerfield is in shiny delightful form, recreating sunshine rock in a modern guise that is new but recognizable.  This is a must… A

10. MOVIE Zombieland

I had no real expectations for this film, but was so pleased to spend 90 summer evening minutes with this awesome take on the zombie genre.  I expect greatness from Woody Harrelson and he delivers nicely here, as does the rest of the ragtag cast, including Abigail Breslin who I’ve grown to appreciate.  But the direction is what makes this film beyond enjoyable.  It’s witty and winking but still with heart, making use of such overblown tropes in a fresh enough way to keep me smiling… A-