Bradley’s Almanac

On Seeing Sin City / more

Posted on March 22, 2005 at 3:19 pm | No Comments

I’ve been trying to write a full-on, in-depth review of Sin City, the upcoming adaptation of Frank Miller’s killer comic stories that I was pretty lucky to see last week… but I’m actually too enthusiastic about it. I’m trying to resist the raising of your expectations (uh oh… it’s already started), and the all-out gushing. It’s a struggle… but here I go…

Well, of all the comic-property adaptations I’ve seen (superhero and non-superhero alike), this was easily the most literal, uncompromising, and loyal translation yet. For fans of the books, it opens with the short story ‘The Customer Is Always Right‘, straight into ‘That Yellow Bastard‘, onto ‘The Hard Goodbye‘ (aka book one), then ‘The Big Fat Kill‘, and back to ‘That Yellow Bastard‘. It finishes with a short and specially written epilogue that wraps things up with in a black and white bow. As a long-time Sin City reader, I feel like I need to give director Robert Rodriguez a big honkin’ fan-to-man-hug. Or maybe just buy the guy a beer. He calls himself the co-director, along with Miller (the credits actually say ‘Shot & Cut by Robert Rodriguez’), and the two of them together got nearly everything right… the visuals, the score, the pacing, the cast. They kept the best parts of the stories intact, taking exact panels and lines of dialogue from the books… it’s eerie. It says a lot about Miller’s visual storytelling that his books work so well unfiltered on the screen, and a lot about Rodriguez in that he understood that. Sometimes you don’t need to fix what sure as hell ain’t broke.

There’s that perfect way the cars shoot down streets, grabbing just the right amount of exaggerated comic-book air. The way the beaten bodies fly further than normal after an extra-hard punch. The inhuman amount of pain each anti-hero can take and keep coming back for more. Speaking of which, Mickey Rourke is amazing… he’s a Marv action figure come to life (yes, I’ve got one… call in the geek police). It takes a few minutes to get by the Dick Tracy-esque makeup job, but once you’re in, you’re so very in. And Bruce Willis… better as Hartigan in this than the whole of Hostage. Carla Gugino, not just a good performance as Lucille, but a very brave one, revealing more of herself than any other woman in the film. Just, um, wow. You’ll see. Nick Stahl, also excellent, and keep an eye out for some pretty amusing line delivery from a bald Nicky Katt… didn’t even recognize the guy at first. And Elijah Wood was actually frightening. Who would have thought that possible? Hell, even the occasional laugh-grabbing lines that worked on paper work better on screen. There were a few small character changes (secondary players get combined, an occasional small scene gets skipped), but the good stuff is all in there. It is Basin City, unfiltered, with all its ultra-violence, nakedness, and dark alleys intact.

My only minor complaints: Brittany Murphy’s cringe-worthy moments, especially her goodbye in the window… not sure why the girl keeps gettin’ work. Also, Clive Owen & Benicio Del Toro’s (as Dwight & Jack) drive to the tar pit drags a little, the only slow moment in the thing. Other than that… cinematic perfection. I cannot wait to see this thing again on opening weekend, so I can put some of my money into the pockets of everyone involved.

Oh, and if you have to go out of your way to catch it on a digitally projected screen, do it. They set one up for us at the screening, and it was noticably gorgeous… the contrast, the deep blacks, the brief uses of color jumping out. Best use of digital filming and cgi-backgrounds (aside from LOTR) that I’ve seen yet.

If you’re a die-hard fan of HBO’s the Wire, you’ve already heard this… but for all of you who should be fans but aren’t yet, listen up: It’s coming back, and we’re damn lucky for it. Apparantly it was a close call for HBO, who thankfully decided to look beyond ratings and ask creator David Simon to present his 4th season story ideas. Well, he sold them on it, so we get another bound-to-be-great 12 episodes. So excited, but it’s going to be a long wait until early 2006. Between now and then, do yourself (and the show) a favor and rent the first couple seasons on DVD, or catch all the episodes in order through HBO on demand. I guarantee you’ll be there for the fourth season premiere if you do.

It’s been a long time since I visited the Indie Rock Photo Gallery, but I won’t make that mistake again. Some amazing shots over there, including some fantastic photos from the Teenbeat 20th Anniversary. Very, very nice.

So you can get three semi-new American Analog Set songs thanks to… Tylenol? Yeah, it’s true. Details are here at the Ouch website, although it looks like I’m a little slow on the uptake. The free split EP with White Magic, called ‘Songs of Hurt and Healing‘, was available in certain magazines last month, and supposedly at records stores like Newbury Comics (although they had no idea what I was asking about). I’m on a mission to find this sucker, so if anyone has a clue, drop me a comment. You can listen to one song from each band here and read a pretty nice interview with AmAnSet main-man Andrew Kenny while you’re at it.

How the hell did I miss the news that Toni Halliday disbanded Curve? Sad to hear, but not too surprising, I s’pose. They hadn’t played live in years, their latest releases were compilations of sporadically recorded and internet-posted tracks that were largely ignored (but sure as hell not by me). I held out hope they’d hit the road, but it wasn’t to be. Since Curve was always, at it’s core, a duo… it’s not hard to imagine her and Dean Garcia working together again someday, but as she wrote: “I do intend to do small one off projects in the future but nothing that needs the time and commitment of a full time band.” Hope to hear her voice again sooner rather than later.

While it’s still available, grab what may be the last internet-released Curve mp3, ‘Weekend‘, from their mp3 page.

Scrubs guy and Garden Stater Zach Braff totally got Punk’d. (waitaminute, that show is actually still on the air?). Click that link, watch the video clip, and witness normally easy-goin’ Braff prepare to deck a pre-teen for messin’ with his ride (“That’s a 100,000 car!”). Semi-embarrassing, yes. His Scrubs co-star Donald Faison is so dead when the revenge comes around.

Psyched to find out that Braff directed is appearing in the April 10th episode of Arrested Development, and that he’s using his blog to spread the word. Please. Watch. That. Show. If it dies, and you didn’t watch, I’m totally going to send a hungry seal after you.

Buy the new Spring issue of Venus magazine. Features on both Sarah Silverman and Mary Timony? Serious swoon-age.

In case I don’t get around to mentioning it before then, you might wanna watch the Thursday night premiere of the U.S. version of The Office. As a huge Office fan, and a lover of all things Steve Carell, I’ll be TiVo-ing it (even though I’ve, um, seen it). Before you write it off, you’ve gotta watch at least one, right? Me, I thought it was better than expected, and I’m glad to hear they start using original scripts (rather than adapting the BBC versions) after the pilot episode.

Instead of being in front of the TV on Thursday, though, I’ll probably be at the Matt Pond PA show over at Brandeis University. Just $5 for non-students, and since it’s free for Brandeisers, it’s probably gonna be packed. MPPA is on at 11, and openers Lincoln Conspiracy are on at 10.

Hey, look, it’s a Magnetic Fields KVRX radio session from 1998. And hey, over here you can stream every song from the new New Order album. Thanks, um, random forgotten mp3 blogs (sorry). You’ll also be able to stream the entirety of the new British Sea Power album at NME.com starting this Friday. Until then, grab three tracks at their official site.

Allow me join the chorus of love for mp3 blog Tofu Hut, especially now that they’ve gone daily.

The Screen Savers, the long-running and formerly tech-centric show that died a symbolic death last year when G4 assimilated their network, TechTV (and the content turned more towards cheesy celeb-interviews, usually-bad live bands, bikini-wearing babes, and video game reviews) is now dying an official death by changing it’s name on March 28th to the fairly terrible ‘Attack of the Show‘. Yeah, might as well abandon any pretense at being computer-centric, even though you still let Kevin & Sarah do the occasional tech-or-web-related piece. Those two are the only reason I still have that TiVo Season Pass, although it now takes me about 10 minutes to cruise through each hour-long program. So farewell to The Screen Savers, and here’s hoping another tech-heavy TV show comes along sometime soon.

And for longtime TSS fans, you’ll be happy to know that the kilt-wearing, Dropkick Murphys-loving former host, Patrick Norton, now has a blog. The fact that the guy resisted having any web-presence was always a source a humor on the show, but he finally gave in. It’ll be nice to see what he’s up to, assuming he keeps up the content.

Picked up some music today… the new Yo La Tengo 3-disc collection, ‘Prisoners of Love‘, and the new full-length from Laetitia Sadier’s Stereolab side project, Monade, called ‘A Few Steps More‘. They had the Monade disc playing in the store, and it sounded very, very good. If you’ve got a Newbury Comics near you, both discs are on sale, as is the cheaper 2-disc version of the Yo La Tengo collection… but who’d wanna miss out on that 3rd disc of outtakes and rarities? Not I.

Oh, and Yo La Tengo returns to Massachusetts on Saturday, July 9th for a show at the Mass. Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, performing live accompaniment for the films of Jean Painlev�. Sure to be a pretty interesting show, but it’s a bit of a drive from Boston… might make a nice weekend trip, though.

And speaking o’ Stereolab, we’re just a month away from the release of ‘Oscillons From the Anti Sun‘, the 3-cd-1-dvd collection of previously import-only EPs. 35 songs (28 of which have never been released in the U.S.) and a DVD of rare videos and television performances. Hot dayum.

Also out this week: A new trade paperback collection of one of my favorite comics, Greg Rucka’s excellent spy-story Queen & Country. ‘Operation Saddlebags‘ is the name of this seventh volume, and Rucka’s writing makes it pretty tough not to buy each individual issue on a monthly basis. Any week that sees the release of another multi-issue collection is automatically a good one.

Work has kept me from updating this place lately, but I’m playing catch-up and should have this week’s mp3(s) up sometime soon.

On deck for us tonight… tickets to a ‘Secret Screening’ at a local theater, but since the pass lists ‘Fox Searchlight’ on it, I’m guessing it’s the new Woody Allen movie ‘Melinda & Melinda‘. I’m up for that.

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  • BOSTON-AREA LIVE SHOW ACTION
    Thursday, March 28th
    Thus Love
    Native Sun
    Robber Robber
    @ O'Brien's

    Thursday, March 28th
    Arlo Parks
    Chloe George
    @ the Royale

    Friday, March 29th
    Grouplove
    Bully
    @ Roadrunner

    Friday, March 29th
    The Rolling Stones
    @ Gillette

    Saturday, March 30th
    Ex-Hyena (release show!)
    The Shallows
    CMB (Casey Desmond/Jimmy Rossi Jr.)
    @ Deep Cuts

    Saturday, March 30th
    Guster
    Fruit Bats
    @ MGM Music Hall

    Saturday, March 30th
    The Cavedogs
    @ the Burren Back Room

    Monday, April 1st
    Adam Ant
    The English Beat
    @ the Wilbur

    Friday, April 5th
    Joe Pernice (solo)
    @ a Boston living room

    Friday, April 5th
    Richard Thompson
    @ the Cut, Gloucester

    Saturday, April 6th
    Choo Choo La Rouge
    Lupo Citta
    The Bret Tobias Set
    Jay Walsh
    @ the Midway Cafe

    Saturday, April 6th
    Land Of Talk
    @ Rockwood Music Hall

    Saturday, April 6th
    Destroyer (solo)
    Lightning Dust
    @ Brighton Music Hall

    Saturday, April 6th
    Choo Choo La Rouge
    Lupo Citta
    The Bret Tobias Set
    Jay Walsh (of the Douglas Fir)
    @ the Midway Cafe

    Saturday, April 6th
    Colin Hay (Men at Work)
    @ the Wilbur

    Monday, April 8th
    Swami & the Bed of Nails
    (John Reis of Hot Snakes/RFTC/etc)
    The Freqs
    @ Crystal Ballroom

    Tuesday, April 9th
    Moron's Morons
    Andy California
    Adult Learners
    G. Gordon Gritty
    @ O'Brien's

    Thursday, April 11th
    Trash Sun
    @ O'Brien's

    Thursday, April 11th
    Hotline TNT
    Cicada
    @ the Somerville Armory

    Saturday, April 13th
    Dead Gowns
    Kathy Snax
    Hannah Mohan
    Audrey & Karina
    @ the Loft, Somerville

    Saturday, April 13th
    DARK SPRING BOSTON FEST
    with Korine, House of Harm,
    Widow Rings, Allie Frost,
    Hemlock for Socrates,
    Midnight Psychic, the
    Spearmint Sea, and more
    @ the Middle East

    Sunday, April 14th
    Woods
    Avey Tare
    @ the Sinclair

    Monday, April 15th
    Matthew Sweet
    @ the Wilbur

    Wednesday, April 17th
    Metz
    @ the Crystal Ballroom

    Wednesday, April 17th
    Real Estate
    Marina Allen
    @ the Royale

    Friday, April 19th
    Quattracenta
    Thalia Zedek Band
    Rip Room
    @ the Midway Cafe

    Friday, April 19th
    Drop Nineteens
    Greg Mendez
    @ the Paradise

    Saturday, April 20th Doc Hopper
    "Aloha" LP 30th anniversary with
    Shades Apart,
    Matt Charrette & the Truer Sound,
    and The Keeper Class
    @ O'Brien's

    Wednesday, April 24th
    Teen Suicide
    awakebutstillinbed
    @ the Crystal Ballroom

    Friday, April 26th
    Waxahatchee
    Good Morning
    @ the Orpheum

    Friday & Saturday
    April 26th & 27th
    The Town & the City Festival
    @ various venues in Lowell, MA

    Saturday, April 27th
    Kal Marks
    Grocer
    Bedroom Eyes
    Main Era
    @ O'Brien's

    Saturday, April 27th
    Belle and Sebastian
    The Weather Station
    @ the Orpheum

    Sunday, April 28th
    Yot Club
    Boyscott
    @ Brighton Music Hall

    Tuesday, April 30th
    Adult Learners
    Perfectly Lethal
    Over Ends
    Free with food donation
    @ Notch Brewing Brighton

    Tuesday, April 30th
    Teenage Fanclub
    @ the Paradise

    Wednesday, May 1st
    Ty Segall
    @ the Royale

    Thursday, May 2nd
    Outer World
    @ Deep Cuts

    Thursday, May 2nd
    The Decemberists
    Ratboys
    @ Roadrunner

    Friday, May 3rd
    Ra Ra Riot
    @ the Royale

    Saturday, May 4th
    Slothrust
    Weakened Friends
    @ the Sinclair

    Saturday, May 4th
    Lisa Bastoni
    & Sean Staples
    @ the Rec Room, Belmont

    Saturday, May 4th
    The Lights Out
    Gretchen Shae & The Middle 8
    Brian K & The Parkway
    @ Faces Brewing

    Sunday, May 5th
    Sheer Mag
    Pile
    @ Crystal Ballroom

    Sunday, May 5th
    CSS
    @ the Sinclair

    Monday, May 6th
    Cloud Nothings
    Hurry
    @ the Crystal Ballroom

    Tuesday, May 7th
    Bad Religion
    Social Distortion
    (playing "Mommy's Little Monster")
    @ MGM Music Hall

    Wednesday, May 8th
    Todd Rundgren
    @ the Wilbur

    Wednesday, May 8th
    Chastity Belt
    @ the Sinclair

    Thursday, May 9th
    Cheekface
    Yungatita
    @ Brighton Music Hall

    Friday, May 10th
    Hot Water Music
    30 Year Anniversary Tour
    with Quicksand
    & Off With Their Heads
    @ the Royale

    Friday, May 10th
    Sarah Shook & the Disarmers
    @ the Cut, Gloucester

    Saturday, May 11th
    Bradley's Almanac (that's me) presents...
    SAVAK
    SAMUEL s.c.
    HEY I'M OUTSIDE
    PLAZA
    8pm @ O'Brien's

    Saturday, May 11th
    Ride
    @ Big Night Live

    Saturday, May 11th
    Hallelujah the Hills
    Colleen Green
    Mallcops
    @ Deep Cuts

    Sunday, May 12th
    Sunny Day Real Estate
    @ Big Night Live

    Monday, May 13th
    High On Fire
    Zeta
    High Command
    @ the Middle East
    Monday & Tuesday
    May 13th & May 14th
    Mannequin Pussy
    Soul Glo
    @ the Sinclair

    Tuesday, May 14th
    Swans
    @ the Paradise

    Wednesday, May 15th
    Wussy (duo show)
    @ an Allston living room

    Thursday, May 16th
    Helmet
    Cro-Mags
    @ the Middle East Downstairs

    Thursday, Friday, & Saturday
    May 16th, 17th, & 18th
    Jukebox the Ghost
    @ the Sinclair

    Friday, May 17th
    Lenny Kaye & Friends
    "A 50th Anniversary Celebration of
    Nuggets!: Classic Garage Rock Songs"
    featuring Jon Wurster, Bill Janovitz,
    Ted Leo, Josh Kantor, David Minehan,
    James Mastro, Ed Valauskas, Hugo Burnham,
    Clint Conley, Tanya Donelly, Duke Levine,
    Barrence Whitfield, Tony Goddess, Willie
    Alexander, and more to come
    @ the Cut, Gloucester

    Friday, May 17th
    Special Sapphic Pride Show
    Ruby Grove
    Galaxy Cake
    Miss Geo
    Linnea's Garden
    @ the Loft, Somerville

    Friday, May 17th
    Neil Young & Crazy Horse
    @ the Xfinity Center

    Friday, May 17th
    Buck Meek (of Big Thief)
    @ Crystal Ballroom

    Saturday, May 18th
    Eldridge Rodriguez
    @ Sonia

    Saturday, May 18th
    The Messthetics
    James Brandon Lewis
    @ the Crystal Ballroom

    Monday, May 20th
    Echo & the Bunnymen
    @ the House of Blues

    Tuesday, May 21st
    Another Michael
    Tenci
    @ the Rockwell

    Tuesday, May 28th
    Shannon & the Clams
    @ the Sinclair

    Tuesday, May 28th
    Brookline Booksmith presents...
    Kathleen Hanna
    "Rebel Girl" book tour
    @ the Wilbur

    Wednesday, May. 29th
    The Antlers &
    Okkervil River
    (solo & together tour)
    @ the Crystal Ballroom

    Wednesday, May 29th
    The Alarm
    Jay Aston's Gene Love Jezebel
    Belouis Some
    @ Brighton Music Hall

    Wednesday, May 29th
    Madness
    @ MGM Music Hall

    Thursday, May 30th
    Camera Obscura
    @ the Paradise

    Thursday, May 30th
    Nation Of Language
    @ the Royale

    Tuesday, June 4th
    Melt-Banana
    The Flying Luttenbachers
    babyaby_explores
    @ the Sinclair

    Tuesday, June 4th
    Joe Jackson
    @ the Wilbur

    Wednesday, June 5th
    Andy Summers (The Police)
    @ Cary Hall, Lexington

    Thursday, June 6th
    Jason Narducy & Alison Chesley
    duo/reunion show
    @ Q Division Studios, Cambridge

    Thursday, June 6th
    Reverend Horton Heat
    @ the Crystal Ballroom

    Friday, June 7th
    Joe Pera
    @ the Wilbur

    Monday, June 10th
    Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade) @ Brighton Music Hall

    Monday, June 10th
    Bleachers
    Samia
    @ MGM Music Hall

    Thursday, June 13th
    Jon Langford & the Bright Shiners
    @ the Cut, Gloucester

    Thursday, June 13th
    Aaron West & the Roaring Twenties
    Future Teens
    Maura Weaver
    @ Brighton Music Hall

    Friday, June 14th
    Dylan Earl
    Tiger Saw
    Audrey & Karina
    & one more artist tba
    @ the Loft, Somerville

    Sunday, June 16th
    Pixies
    Modest Mouse
    Cat Power
    @ Xfinity Center

    Wednesday, June 19th
    Future Islands
    @ Roadrunner

    Thursday, June 20th
    Roger Daltrey
    KT Tunstall
    @ the Pavilion

    Friday, June 21st
    The Church
    The Afghan Whigs
    Ed Harcourt
    @ the Royale

    Friday, June 21st
    Blushing
    Airiel
    Bodywash
    @ Deep Cuts

    Saturday, June 22nd
    Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
    playing "Shake The Sheets"
    with guests
    Ekko Astral
    @ the Paradise

    Saturday, June 22nd
    Guided By Voices
    The Moles
    @ the Royale

    Tuesday, June 25th
    Jon Anderson (of Yes)
    playing “Yes Epics, Classics, and More”
    @ the Shubert Theatre

    Tuesday, June 25th
    Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
    Courtney Marie Andrews
    @ Roadrunner

    Wednesday, June 26th
    Blue Oyster Cult
    @ the Lynn Auditorium

    Friday, June 28th
    Dry Cleaning
    @ the Paradise

    Friday, June 28th
    A Day To Remember
    The Story So Far
    Four Year Strong
    Pain of Truth
    @ Suffolk Downs

    Friday, June 28th
    Janet Jackson
    Nelly
    @ TD Garden

    Saturday, June 29th
    Buffalo Tom
    @ Boarding House Park, Lowell

    Sunday, June 30th
    Les Savy Fav
    @ Somerville Armory