Happy Holidays

Here are some selected shots from the 2009 Winter Holidays. In addition to Christmas and New Year's, our holidays include Dadmas (my father's birthday, December 27th), Beckymas (January 4th) and Elvismas (January 8th). Enjoy!

Eagle Rock Mug Club

Attention beer lovers in the greater Los Angeles area! 2010 promises to be a very Happy New Year indeed as we are on the verge of having our very first craft brewery open within the city limits.

Jeremy Raub, his wife Ting, and his father Steve have been fighting the good fight against L.A.'s beer hating bureaucracy for over two years now, and last weekend they were finally able to stage their "Pre-opening" event. As a homebrewer and beer lover myself, I bought a membership in the Eagle Rock Brewery Mug Club, which got me an engraved mug with my name on it (pictured above), and an invitation to the exclusive pre-opening mug club party.

After meeting Jeremy at L.A.'s first craft beer fest, held last spring at the Echoplex, he was kind enough to invite me and my partners in Steverson Brewing to take a tour of their brewery while it was still in the early stages. They had just gotten all of their equipment, and they were working furiously to get their brewery tasting room up and running. Almost as noteworthy as Eagle Rock Brewery itself, Jeremy and Ting have documented their struggles to get up and running in great detail on the brewery's blog at www.eaglerockbrewery.wordpress.com. It's no accident that their flagship beer is named Solidarity.

Congraratulations to The Eagle Rock Brewery team for fighting the good fight and for giving LA a brewery they can be proud of. The tasting room is going to be open limited hours over the holidays, and their black mild ale Solidarity is now available on tap at Verdugo Bar in Glassell Park. Trust me, It's worth the trip.

While Visions of Megamergers Danced In Their Heads

How do you celebrate your purchase of NBC-Universal while you cross your fingers and hope that the appropriate Federal agencies will approve it? By getting a head start on corporate synergy by mailing out dvds of second rate Universal movies to every Comcast employee? Exactly! But which second rate Universal DVDS to pick? While I can't say for sure if every employee received the same titles (although I'd bet money they did), this Comcaster received...wait for it...The Bourne Ultimatum and Evan Almighty!

To be fair, I heard that Bourne Ultimatum is a pretty decent action picture, but I would love to know how the powers that be decided on those two titles. Evan Almighty's much easier to figure, as Universal must have warehouses of that one sitting around.

But there's more...the letter accompanying these major motion pictures is priceless. The fist two paragraphs read:

"When Comcast brought cable to Tupelo, Mississippi in 1963, we had an innovative idea to bring full network television to this rural community for the first time. This simple idea became the foundation for the innovative company we have become.

That same year, a few thousand miles away, Gregory Peck won best actor in Universal Studios' "To Kill A Mockingbird," and The Beatles made their U.S. television debut on NBC News' Huntley Brinkley Report. As Comcast grew and added more subscribers, we were able to share these historic events with more consumers than was ever thought possible in new and exciting ways."

So just to review, we have Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis, The Beatles, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Comcast. Dream big, indeed.

Film Radar Review: The Messenger

Hey Kids, exciting news here at WhatMakesJeffyRun. Starting today, I will be writing periodic movie reviews for the awesome LA website FilmRadar.com. Film Radar is run by the one and only Karie Bible, whose passion for movies knows no bounds. Her site provides a great service to Angelenos by keeping track of the many many indie, revival, and specialty films that are playing in our area from week to week. When she sent out an email asking for help adding additional content to the site, I humbly offered my services. My first review for the site is reprinted here below. After you read it, find the movie, and see it. You won't be sorry.


Film Review: The Messenger

By Jefferson Root


Screenwriter Oren Moverman has collaborated on several of the most acclaimed American Independent films of the last 10 years. He co-wrote 1999's Jesus'Son, and more recently worked with Todd Haynes on his bold Bob Dylan biopic, I'm Not There. Moverman's directorial debut, "The Messenger", also shows that he has an equal affinity for choosing images. The picture opens in close up on a shot of lead actor Ben Foster's face, as a single tear rolls down his cheek. The camera pulls back to reveal that the tear is caused by a regimen of eyedrops, applied as a treatment for wounds sustained on the battlefield, but it also sets the stage for the sad and gripping story about to unfold.

"The Messenger" is the story of Will Montgomery (Foster) a young vet wounded in the current Iraq war, who has been sent statestide to serve out the remainder of his enlistment. He soon learns that instead of coasting through his last three months as an auto shop instructor, that he will be performing one of the most critical and excruciating tasks the army has to offer: informing the next of kin (or NOK in the army lingo) that their loved ones have been killed in the war.

Reporting to Capatin Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), Montgomery get a crash course in the ins and outs of grief. Stone, a thrice married veteran of the first Gulf War, fully understands the intensity of their task, and orders his new charge to go strictly by the book. He has a hard, fast list of rules that are not to be broken. Never touch the NOK. Always refer to the deceased by their name. "And if you feel like offering any hugs...don't." To him, their job is strictly a "hit and get operation."

The problem with this advice, of course, is that Military procedure is no match for the power of grief, and as the film depicts a series of notifications, we see that grief begin to work its way through the cracks in Montgomery and Stone and take an inreasingly human toll. This is only magnified when Stone finds himself attracted to Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton), a widow who's been left behind with a young son.

As the film draws to it's conclusion, the strict rules of the Military continue to erode, and what we're left with are both the physical and emotional walking wounded, looking for meaningful connections wherever they can find them.

The danger of a movie like "The Messenger" is that it could very easily collapse under the weight of its own subject matter. But Moverman and co-screenwriter Allesandro Camon are able to deftly sidestep this with a pitch perfect cast and just the right amount of black humor sprinkled throughout. Harrelson is especially valuable here. When the two men approach Morton's house to tell her the bad news, we see an idyllic scene of children playing, and mothers hanging up clothes on the line in the afternoon sun. Anticipating the dread that's to come, Montgomery quips, "Could be worse. Could be Christmas." It's hard to imagine another actor that could deliver that line better.

But the real heart of the movie belongs to Foster and Morton. As two people drawn to each other under the worst possible circumstances, the two actors deliver two towering performances of quiet strength and heartbreaking intensity. The sequence in Olivia's kitchen where the two charactere try in vain to get together is one of the most powerful pieces of acting in any film this year. Steve Buscemi and Jena Malone also turn in fine supporting turns, and ultimately the movie never hits a false note.

With two American wars still raging in Iraq and Afghanistan, and thousands of young lives lost but all too rarely mentioned, "The Messenger" couldn't be more timely. It's a film that deserves and demands to be seen.

Co-Screenwriter Allesandro Camon and Producer Lawrence Inglee were present for a Q & A session at the screening I attended and provided further insight into the difficulty a personal film like this had in reaching the screen.

Camon spoke about the film's lengthy development process, during which directors as diverse as Sydney Pollack and Ben Affleck were attached. He spoke highly of Pollack's contributions, many of which ended up in future drafts of the script. Ultimately, the looming WGA strike ended up accelerating the production schedule and afforded co-writer Moverman the oppportunity to make his directing debut.

A question was asked about whether or not the U.S. Army was involved in the production of the film. It turns out that if the Army considers a project to be "realistic" in nature, they're much more selective about the films they approve. Ultimately, "The Messenger" was made with full military cooperation, and they had an Army Advisor, Lt. Col Paul Snyder who worked with them on set every day.

The cooperation of the Army also opened up the use of official military locations for the film, as several scenes were shot at Ft. Dix in New Jersey.

The movie was clearly a labor of love for all involved. When asked how Steve Buscemi was convinced to come on board for such a small role, Inglee quipped that he had "illicit pictures" of the actor, before coming clean and revealing that Buscemi is a good friend of Oren Moverman and just wanted to be part of the project.

"The Messenger" is dedicated to the memories of loved ones lost by the film's cast and crew.

www.filmradar.com

Hershey Ella Asmus Root: 1991-2009

If she resented the pink sweater, she never let on.

Heroes and Villains

What a tangled web we weave...Regular readers of these pages may recall a post in which Hollywood Blvd Chewbacca was busted by the LAPD:

http://whatmakesjeffyrun.blogspot.com/2007/08/heroes.html

This weekend brought news that now Hollywood Blvd Spider-Man has also fallen off of the heroic path:

(LA Times Photo)

So far there are no reports of criminal malfeisance by Hollywood Blvd Captain America, but stay tuned...

RSP Strikes Again!

Kudos to the Los Angeles Times, for providing a headline that I never would've imagined:

Dream of begging Candy Spelling for cash? Ryan Seacrest can make it happen

Ryan has had a rough week, what with an armed stalker being arrested in the lobby of his building (Okay, technically he doesn't own the building, but he might as well), so it's good to see that he's continuing to crank out cutting edge programming with his usual aplomb. His latest offering, "Bank of Hollywood", offers regular folks struggling through the recession the chance to let C list celebrities make their dreams come true. The list of all star would be philanthopists includes Candy Spelling (Widow of Aaron, Mother of Tori, and lousy with dirty sexy money), celebrity poker ace Vanessa Rousso, and a singer from the Pussycat Dolls. Is Ryan Seacrest Productions bankrolling these request, or do the celebs have to pony up the dough themselves? Is this offer limited to the hoi polloi, or can the Governator show up to try to fill in next year's state budget deficit? Can Tori drop by to get a handout from her estranged Mom? So many questions. Tune in to E! on December 14th if you feel compelled to know the answers.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/11/dream-of-begging-candy-spelling-for-cash-ryan-seacrest-can-make-it-happen.html

TV Halloween

Last night's NBC comedy line-up featured an all Halloween themed extravanganza which ran the gamut from Halloween trickery/vandalism (Parks and Recreation) to the unpleasant (Michael Scott hanging from the ceiling with a Christmas package affixed to his junk). Oddly, there also two different references to off the hook gay Halloween parties; Parks and Rec delivered a zinger about "three Jonas Brothers making out with three Robert Pattinsons", while 30 Rock went so far as to make getting into a gay Halloween parties one of its subplots. For my money, though, nothing was as funny as Community, which served up the spooky spectacle of Chevy Chase tripping on ecstasy while dressed as The Beastmaster. When one of his classmates doesn't recognize the character, a dumbfounded Chase responds with "What rock have you been living under?" I guess we're a long ways from the days when HBO could've stood for "Hey, Beastmaster's On!".

All four shows were clearly enjoying their riffs on Halloween themes, but my prize for the greatest Halloween episode ever still goes to the long departed cult classic Freaks and Geeks. Witness the humiliation as Lindsay inadvertently eggs her little brother Sam while he and his friends are out trick or treating:




And see where it all goes wrong as The Beastmaster swaps pills with "Starburns":



Happy TV Halloween everybody!

U2 at the Rose Bowl: An All Day Affair

According to Mapquest, the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena is 13.83 miles away from our Hollywood apartment. What mapquest doesn't factor in, of course, is how long it takes to travel that distance when 95,998 other people are trying to do the same thing. As a TAP card carrying rider of L.A. public transportation, I thought I'd got this problem licked. The Metro Red Line stop at Hollywood and Vine is an easy walk from where we live. Take the train downtown to Union Station and make a quick transfer to the Gold Line train, which stops in Old Town Pasadena. From there it was a quick two block walk to Parsons, where we had purchased (in advance) a ticket for a shuttle bus that would take us directly to the Rose Bowl. The promoters for the U2 show had generously agreed to pay the costs of extending train service until the wee hours of Sunday morning to accomodate the crowds, so it seemed like a foolproof plan. After the day was done, I was reminded of something I overheard on the bus on my way to work a few weeks back. There's a woman in a wheelchair who rides my same bus sometimes, and she often strikes up conversations with the bus driver. Her favorite subject is rock concerts. I've heard her mention Green Day, Pearl Jam, and U2,which she always added would be "an all day affair." Considering how long it took us to get to and from the show, I wouldn't be surprised if she's just getting home now.

Getting to the show, everything went according to plan. We set out at around 2:30 from our apartment, made our connections, and had only a brief wait for the shuttle. We were in the general admission line at Gate E by around 4:45, and even had the pleasure of hearing U2's soundcheck going on inside. The gates opened shortly before 5:30, and we were down on the field in a prime spot a little before 6. The Black Eyed Peas "got it started" with a rousing opening set that included a stellar cover of "Sweet Child O'Mine" featuring none other than Slash on guitar. U2 took the stage around 9 and delivered more than two hours of first rate rock and roll spectacle. Highlights included "The Unforgettable Fire", "Until the End of the World", and a rendition of "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" which saw Bono don a literal lasersuit which was spectacular to behold. My wife described him perfectly as a "mariachi from space."


It was after the show that the real adventure began. We spent a half an hour or so trying to connect with our friends who weren't able to travel to the show with us. If you want an exercise in frustration, trying to find someone in the midst of 96,000 people is right up there. We finally had to give up and it was every woman and man for themselves. The show ended at around 11:15, and we knew that the last Gold Line train from Old Town left at 1:27 AM. Seemed simple enough, but then we saw the lines for the shuttle. It seemed impossible that we would get there in time if we waited, so we hoofed it on out of there, along with hundreds of other brave souls. About a mile and a half and several steep hills later, we made it onto a train a little before 1. A successful transfer to the red line later, we made a concession to our aching feet and paid $5 to cab it the remaining short distance home.

So to recap: Left the house at 2:30 PM, got home at 2 AM. I hope I see the woman on the bus again soon. I'd love to compare notes. U2's setlist is below.

Main Set: Breathe, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Beautiful Day, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Stand By Me, Stuck In A Moment, No Line On The Horizon, Elevation, In A Little While, Unknown Caller, Until the End of the World, The Unforgettable Fire, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo - It's Only Rock and Roll, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (remix), Sunday Bloody Sunday, MLK, Walk On - You'll Never Walk Alone

Encore(s): One, Amazing Grace, Where the Streets Have No Name, Ultraviolet, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender

UPDATE: Finally got a hold of our friends we couldn't connect with at the show. They said the line for the shuttle after the show "was like Lord of the Flies". They also walked all the way back to Old Town Pasadena, and my friend's wife is 3 months pregnant!

UPDATE 2: Don't know how long this will stay up, but for now, here's the ENTIRE CONCERT from YouTube:

Bob Dylan at the Hollywood Palladium 10/13/09

(Photo from the L.A. Times)


The last time I saw Bob Dylan was in Eugene, Oregon in the early 90's. His 1989 album Oh Mercy had been a comeback of sorts after a subpar creative decade, but Dylan didn't seem to be energized by the new material and delivered a lackluster set mostly composed of the requisite hits. Dylan's been busy since then, and has seemed to be experiencing a late career renaissance throughout most of this decade. I've been very impressed by his last three albums, especially 2006's Modern Times, so when I heard that Dylan and his band were doing three nights at the relatively intimate Hollywood Palladium, I decided to lay down some of my hard earned dollars and give the Bob Dylan live experience another try.

The result was a mixed bag. Dylan is Dylan, and there will never be another. He has absolutely nothing to prove, and in that sense every new album he makes is a bonus to be savored. But I'm starting to think that the "never ending tour" that Dylan's embarked on for the last few years isn't really doing him many favors. His band sounded great, and he definitely seemed more engaged than he was the last time I saw him, but there still seemed something perfunctory about the whole experience. There were certain exceptions. He really came to life during a towering performance of "Thunder on the Mountain" from Modern Times, and songs like "My Wife's Home Town" and "Jolene" from last year's Together Through Life had a satisfying snarl. Other times, though, his monotone delivery really took me out of some of the older material. The standard knock on Dylan is that he can't sing, but anyone who's listened to his records knows that's not true. The problem is that in the live setting, he mostly chooses not to.

Still, two hours spent listening to an American icon was not a bad way to spend a rainy night in Hollywood. The setlist for the show is below:

Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking
Shooting Star
Beyond Here Lies Nothin'
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Cold Irons Bound
Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
My Wife's Home Town
Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
High Water (for Charlie Patton)
I Feel A Change Comin' On
Highway 61 Revisited
Nettie Moore
Thunder On The Mountain
Ballad Of A Thin Man
Like A Rolling Stone
Jolene
All Along The Watchtower