Real Topeka People

It’s been a long time people… and Real Topeka People is about to undergo some big changes…. stay tuned for a totally new site, coming soon.

The description for this clip by Brisbane garage rockers DZ says it all…. “2 guys, 1 bottle of Jagermeister, 3 minutes.” No prizes for guessing how this one ends…

Caught these guys playing support for Tame Impala last night and loved every minute of them. Very energetic performance, great stage presence, thundering drumming and howling guitar (though they could go a little easier on the strobe lighting). Definitely a band to look out for.

Hey there fellow Real Topeka People… the site seems to have fallen behind a bit since the server hiccup last week, so expect a bunch of catch up posts from my sister site The Daily Mojo shortly….

John Patrick Shanley’s ‘Doubt’ is definitely an actor’s film, which should come as no surprise to those who have made note of it’s four acting nominations in this years Oscars. I use the term ‘actor’s film’ in both a complimentary and slightly perjorative way. The film’s relatively thin plot means its success relies upon the talent of its minimal cast, but its also an opportunity to showcase the suspense that can be generated by a simple study of human behaviour.

At the film’s heart is the conflict beween a suspicion of paedophilia and a declaration of innocence; more specifically, the accusations of the icy Sister Aloysius, played by Meryl Streep, and the rebuttal of Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s genial priest, Father Flynn. Caught in the middle of this battle is the naive Sister James, a young teacher played by Amy Adams whose shifting allegiances mirror the audience.

Set in the Bronx in 1964, ‘Doubt’ still feels contemporary and relevant. Flynn and Aloysius are such polar opposites that their clash feels greater than the dark allegations at its root; it is also a conflict beween conservatism and liberalism, between caution and trust, between optimism and pessimism.

Adapted from his play, Shanley attempts to open the film up from its theatrical roots with some excellent cinematography by Roger Deakins, but the film still feels hemmed in by the limitations of its inspiration. The central cast are all excellent, as is the Oscar nominated Viola Davis as Mrs. Miller, the mother of the young boy whose special attention from Flynn has aroused Aloysius’ distrust. It’s fascinating to see how the nature’s of the characters tilts your perception of the accusation; it’s easy to see Streep’s cold and passive aggressive Sister Aloysius as paranoid and difficult to see any impropriety in Hoffman’s gentle, nurturing teaching. But still the doubt remains…

It’s a brooding film, yet disquieting in a thoughtful way. I don’t believe it is in the same class as the other films nominated for Best Picture this year, mainly due to the limited scope of its story, but it is a showcase of some brilliant acting and a few quietly devastating character moments. It won’t lose any of it’s effect on DVD either. Definitely worth viewing.

This trailer has definitely got a bit of a ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ feel to it, but there’s a few laugh-out loud lines and I actually like the concept. I’ve been air drumming on car trips for the last ten years - I never knew you could make a career out of it. This is what have I been missing!

File this one under ‘HoM’ for ‘Hit Or Miss’. It did win some big Audience Choice Awards at festivals, so maybe its more Hit. Time will tell.

You’d have to be sleeping under a rock to have missed the erupting brouhaha between Joe Satriani and Coldplay - it seems guitarist Satriani is convinced Coldplay plagiarised the melody from their ubiquitous ‘Viva La Vida’ from a 2004 song by Satriani called ‘If I Could Fly’.

Want to weigh in? Here’s some YT examples of both:

‘Viva La Vida’

‘If I Could Fly’

And here’s a clever mashup overlapping the two melodies (disclaimer: the creator has tweaked the tempo and pitch to match them up more closely):

The Coldplay guys responded today with this statement:
“With the greatest possible respect to Joe Satriani, we have now unfortunately found it necessary to respond publicly to his allegations. If there are any similarities between our two pieces of music, they are entirely coincidental, and just as surprising to us as to him. Joe Satriani is a great musician, but he did not write the song “Viva La Vida.” We respectfully ask him to accept our assurances of this and wish him well with all future endeavours. Coldplay.”

Translation? “Get your posse of lawyers and give it your best shot Satriani!”

My opinion: I think they are melodically similar, but I’d say it’s highly unlikely Coldplay intentionally plagiarised Satriani. The intent is crucial to proving his case. It’s more likely that in the great swirling consciousness of life, the seed of that melody drifted into Coldplay’s world and became a song. I know speaking for myself I often find a line of dialogue or a scene idea in my screenplays that I have unintentionally ripped off of far better movies (and I am usually usually horribly embarrassed by it). Satriani should just enjoy the fact that more people will have listened to his song in the last three days than in the last three years.

The Tallest Man On Earth is the musical moniker of Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Mattson. This song has the earthy, unadorned feel of an old Bob Dylan song. Very nice performance by Mattson.

The first look at JJ Abrams ‘Star Trek’ reboot:

I am by no definition a ‘Trekkie’, but I’m excited about this one. Visually very impressive. Love the glimpses of the Enterprise in battle. And is that Eric Bana in the final scene?

JJ Abrams may have some haters, but I am definitely in the ‘I Love JJ’ camp. I’m finally catching up on Lost Series 4 at the moment and it’s equal parts frustrating and enthralling.

If you’re a fan of the goofy ESPN commercials and Sportscenter, you’ll love Kenny Mayne’s new “Curb-esque” online webisode series, Mayne Street.

Scott Van Pelt is the perfect foil for Kenny. It’s amazing the comic timing that most of these SC guys have. I laughed out loud at a few points during ‘Fixes’. Episode 2 is excellent too. Looking forward to seeing where Kenny takes this series.

Scream Queens is a new VH1 Reality show that follows some D-Grade aspiring actresses as they compete for the opportunity of a lifetime; a role in Saw 6. Seriously. There are still people buying tickets to Saw movies??

This clip from E’s The Soup showcases the fine work of two of these actresses. My personal favourite is the emphasis contestant #1 puts on the final word of her short audition scene (0:46 in the YT clip).

Forget Saw 6. I’m predicting an Oscar. And by Oscar I mean a low-level pimp named Oscar.