LYT's Weblog: June 2007 Archives

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June 30, 2007

Of wolverines, rabid and otherwise

I'm not a psychologist, just the son of one.

We've been talking about what might have motivated Chris Benoit to do what he did. It occurred to me that his behavior is consistent with that of a wild animal -- whatever it is that gives us the ability to reason over our animal instincts got turned off in his head somehow.

Benoit's child with Nancy was seriously handicapped, though two children from a previous relationship were not.

In the wild, animals kill sickly children they don't think will be able to survive alone. I've seen a Siamese cat eat her young.

If a wild animal deems that a female can only bear sickly young, it might kill the female too.

Ironic that Benoit's nickname was "The Rabid Wolverine."

Suicide is not an animal instinct. But it is a very human reaction to the realization that your life, and that of your loved ones, is irrevocably ruined.

That's my theory of what was happening inside of him, anyway.

Posted by LYT at 1:56 PM | Comments (12)

Movie critic Joel Siegel dies

Some called him the original quote-whore. Others remember his recent walkout of CLERKS II in a loud huff, which makes more sense if he knew he had cancer then -- who'd want to waste time in a movie they hate, when time may be short?

Whatever his faults, he was one of the best known in our field, and his words were frequently amusing, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.

My condolences to his fans and family.

Posted by LYT at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)

June 28, 2007

Ti West's TRIGGER MAN screens again this weekend

A third screening was just added, due to popular demand.

Saturday, 5 p.m., at the Majestic Crest theater in Westwood. If you haven't seen it yet, come out and support our pal, and independent horror as a whole.

Posted by LYT at 4:43 PM | Comments (3)

June 27, 2007

Reminder

I'm on fire blogging the LAFF

New posts daily, through Sunday. I'm not gonna remind you every day.

Posted by LYT at 12:14 PM | Comments (2)

The Grudge

How do we deal with the loss of Chris Benoit?

On the one hand, you have a man whose career as a wrestler was exemplary, a man respected by all his peers as a stand-up dude, a great athlete, a hell of a talent, and a former world champion.

And yet the way he ended his life supercedes any of that. Just as nobody thinks "Heisman trophy"as the most significant descriptor of OJ Simpson, "world champion" isn't going to be Benoit's main legacy.

The details are truly fucked up. Over the course of a weekend, one on which he was supposed to win the ECW title, Benoit tied up his wife and killed her. The next day, he suffocated his 7-year-old son. Then he hanged himself. This is some serious Japanese horror movie shit.

Benoit deserves to be in the WWE hall of fame, just as OJ deserves to be in the football version, for having a great career in the game. But all that respect he had all these years? It's pretty much gone. No question the man needed counseling -- but to kill your kid like that eliminates any sympathy.

I have a Benoit t-shirt that says "4 Real" on it. How is that going to be read now? I can't really see wearing it again. Which is funny since I used to wear a Charles Manson T-shirt.

I've always believed in separating the artist from the art. In that sense, I guess, one can still appreciate the artistry Benoit showed in the ring.

Posted by LYT at 3:10 AM | Comments (16)

June 25, 2007

Wrestling great Chris Benoit is dead

This is just terrible. Looks like he may have done something really bad too.

I don't even want to speculate before the details are in, and I'm quite preoccupied with other stuff right now...so just read:

Only last week we lost Sensational Sherri, now this.

Benoit seemed to be one of the most stand-up, straightforward, least fucked-up guys in the sport. Appearances deceive, I guess. You never know what demons are inside.

Posted by LYT at 9:07 PM | Comments (4)

Trigger Effect

Come see the LA premiere of our pal Ti West's new film TRIGGER MAN tonight at LAFF. 10pm, Landmark's Regent theater in Westwood. Should be a few familiar faces in the house.

And for those of you wondering why I haven't been blogging this week, I have...A LOT.

Look over here.

Posted by LYT at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)

June 22, 2007

LA Film Fest

Los Angeles friends, especially those living on the westside -- if any of you wouldn't mind me parking my inflatable mattress and overtired ass at your place for a night or two in the next ten days, please drop me an email. Commutes suck.

I've started blogging the LA film fest, and will continue to do so at the usual place.

Also, please read my review of Stephen King's 1408:

At first, things are merely unnerving—a bed mysteriously turned down while Mike’s back is turned, a clock radio that randomly plays “We’ve Only Just Begun,” a painting suddenly placed at a different angle. Mike responds by doing shots—asked previously if he drinks, his response is “Of course! I just said I was a writer!” But gradually, things escalate, with various phantoms both benign and dangerous manifesting, alternate dimension-hopping, and a fun bit self-plagiarizing of an older King short story, “The Ledge” (previously filmed as part of the anthology movie Cat’s Eye). When it comes to creating tension, forcing your hero outside on the ledge of a tall building always works.

And you should also read my profile of teacher Scott Essman:

Like so many others who attended USC cinema school, Essman was inspired by Star Wars when it first came out in 1977. “It was this seminal movie to me. I think it was the movie where I really thought I’d like to get into this world somehow,” says Essman, who was 10 years old at the time. At USC, he took a camera class taught by future Austin Powers director Jay Roach and waited in line for movies with classmate Bryan Singer. But after graduation in 1988, Essman’s career wasn’t quite the expected dream. In fact, he describes his immediate post-college years in New York as “a very difficult time . . . not a great job market for video and film and whatnot.”

Posted by LYT at 9:51 AM | Comments (3)

June 20, 2007

unintentional punnage

I was listening to Alan Colmes on the radio tonight, and he said "Hillary Clinton has broad support."

I thought, gee, that's kinda sexist. What makes you think broads only vote for other broads?

Posted by LYT at 12:55 AM | Comments (0)

June 19, 2007

Irony

Of all the people I've written about -- including the Minutemen -- the ones who seem to be the thinnest-skinned are tattoo-culture folks.

You'd think they'd be my natural allies. But whatever I write about them gets perceived as condescending, no matter what.

Always thought heavily inked folks had a "FTW" attitude and didn't care what others thought. One thing that I've learned; is that is sooooo not true any more, if it ever was.

You buy a "whore fucker" t-shirt from someone, and you think you know them...

Posted by LYT at 12:04 AM | Comments (3)

June 18, 2007

Scam Alert!

I recently received a letter from "the law offices of Mitchell N. Kay, P.C." telling me that they were authorized to let me know I could pay off my Bank of America credit card debt for 40% of the actual value.

Sounds like a good deal, right? That's the first warning sign. Credit card companies don't just offer you deals that cut into their profits.

The second warning sign is that they were asking for a check payable directly to them, rather than the bank.

I did some checking. A google search reveals that the company has tried to rip off others. And while they guessed my credit card balance pretty closely, it was not exact, and the account number was different.

If anyone reading this is in a position to do anything about these frauds, I should probably mention that they asked me to send a check payable to the law offices of Mitchell N. Kay, 7 Penn Plaza, New York, NY, 10001. Their alleged phone number is 1-866-355-9583. Their alternate address is PO Box 9006, Smithtown, NY 11787-9006. I have made Bank of America aware that a fraud is acting in their name.

As my friend Mario might say, I'd "NEVER" advocate "PRANK" calls, or anything "LIKE" that>>>>>>>>>

I'd like to know how they got my name and address, though, given how newly moved I am.

Do "CERTAIN" people "LEGALLY UNDERSTAND" this? I Sure "LEGALLY" hope so!

LukeYThompson
lukeythompson
____________________
The Mitchell N. Kay Case

Posted by LYT at 1:26 AM | Comments (38)

June 17, 2007

HONORABLE MENTION (a.k.a. third place)

Surprisingly, the Salman Rushdie piece went nowhere -- I was bested by the Susannah Hoffs piece, and the incredible edible egg.

I'm number three! Yeah!

photo credit: Natalie Nichols

It was also a good night for many friends and colleagues, with awards taken home by Michael Collins, Gustavo Arellano, Scott Moxley, Pat Saperstein, Anthony Miller, Natalie Nichols, Jonathan Gold (beating out the architecture critic!), the staff of Reason...and probably a few more I'm forgetting.

Posted by LYT at 1:13 AM | Comments (7)

June 16, 2007

What are my odds of winning an award tonight?

Here are all the nominees:

*Anthony Miller, Los Angeles City Beat, Review of Julie Phillips’s biography of science fiction author James Tiptree Jr.
*Gina Nahai, Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, An examination of Salman Rushdie’s legacy, in his writing and his politics, since the fatwa against him.
*Sasha Stone, Santa Monica Mirror, “Is it no longer the incredible, edible egg"
*Tom Teicholz, Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, “Susanna Hoffs walks like"
*Luke Y. Thompson, OC Weekly, “Unreal Estate”

I only have to beat two people to take home a piece of paper; four for a plaque.

Just going by title alone, I'd have to root for the Salman Rushdie piece. However, I think I can do better than the egg, Susanna Hoffs, and James Tiptree. That said, I haven't read the articles to know whether or not they school my ass.

Predictions, anyone?

Posted by LYT at 1:02 AM | Comments (6)

June 15, 2007

Let me emphasize again...

...if you're not reading the OC Weekly staff blog, you really should be...just click on the big ol' Blogad there on the right.

Posted by LYT at 5:42 PM | Comments (1)

OC articles this week

First, a movie review...

Shot in nine days by quirky Canadian director Guy Maddin, Brand Upon the Brain! is the second part of a semi-autobiographical trilogy, following 2003’s Cowards Bend the Knee. Like that film, it features a main character named Guy Maddin (here played as an adult by Erik Steffen Maahs, and as a boy by Sullivan Brown) in a silent-movie setting that frequently features mad scientists, cannibalism/vampirism, twisted experiments and lots of nudity . . . though somehow, when filmed in such a quaint style, it all seems rather innocent. The story begins with the adult Guy returning home to the lighthouse where he grew up, which also happened to be both an orphanage and a laboratory back in his youth. He has been asked by his mother (Gretchen Krich) to paint the place one last time before she dies, so she can see the place looking fresh again.

and then, a tattoo show report...

The coolest thing about attending the show in the company of a photographer is that when you have a camera and a press credential, women at these shows will expose their boobs for you. Not necessarily “on purpose,” but they aren’t exactly shy—you ask to take a photo of their large back piece, and many will take down their top just so your view is unobstructed. Most people with tattoos really want to be looked at.

and what of my take on HOSTEL PART II? I can't find it online, so here you go:

We can expect the typical dismissals of this movie as “torture porn,” but it actually goes lighter on the gore than one might expect; there are certainly gross-out shots (nothing as loopy as the eyeball bit from part one, though), but a lot more is done with sound and editing and implication this time around. Not to mention actual character development...turns out Eli Roth has finally delivered a proper horror film, rather than the campy exploitation of his first two features. For the first time, his sense of humor doesn’t undercut the unsettling nature of the material, which once again focuses on a private dungeon in Slovakia where the rich and connected go to indulge in murder fantasies. Only now, we follow not just the victims (Heather Matarazzo, Lauren German, and Bijou Phillips) but also the perpetrators-to-be, a pair of preening American suits (Roger Bart and Richard Burgi) with emasculation issues. Roth is still just a little too fond of the obvious red herring supporting characters, but his focus on actually trying to get inside the viewer’s head a little bit, rather than overpowering with splatter, makes this a scary movie that will definitely linger in your consciousness.

Posted by LYT at 12:02 AM | Comments (2)

June 14, 2007

Are you a horror hardass?

Set aside a couple of hours, and watch this.

Let me know what you think.

Posted by LYT at 2:21 AM | Comments (3)

June 13, 2007

New LYT film project announced!

I wasn't expecting more acting work so soon, but it does me proud to announce that my sister Nicole Ayach and her boyfriend Andrew Shemin will be shooting a feature over the summer. It's the story of a teenage girl searching America for the gambler who got her pregnant.

One of the characters she encounters is "a pervert with a collection of toys and a fondness for very young girls." Yep, you guessed it.

They're still looking for LA bands and musicians to possibly appear in the film or on the soundtrack -- I don't imagine there's money in it but it's for a good project. If interested, let me know. The cast also includes Coleman Hough, screenwriter for BUBBLE and FULL FRONTAL.

The film's myspace page is here

Posted by LYT at 10:10 PM | Comments (4)

June 12, 2007

Some hopeful news on Saw IV

Though I think the Saw trilogy ended perfectly, and that continuing it just for the money feels like overkill, I feel better reading this

Bousman has my confidence as a director, and Bell has my admiration as an actor. If they say it's good, I believe 'em.

Posted by LYT at 10:55 PM | Comments (2)

Taco Bell's new "Extreme" quesadilla

It's "Extreeeeeemely" salty.

Posted by LYT at 2:38 PM | Comments (2)

June 11, 2007

LYT on internet radio...tonight @7pm

If any of you readers want a chance to talk movies with me, I’ll be on Christian Johnson’s “Geekarati” show tonight at 7 p.m. Among other things, I’ll be discussing the OC Weekly summer movie preview, and also, as Christian describes it, “The Truly Independent and the Blatantly Mass Market.” Essentially, what it means to be independent in the film world. I’ll be interviewed alongside Bill Cunningham of D2dvd.blogspot.com, about the difference between “Independent and Mass Market,” with “a partial bias toward showing that what most people call independent is merely its own genre etc.”

People who want to listen in to the show can visit us at www.blogtalkradio.com/geekerati at 7pm on Monday. The show will stream in live and the listeners can call in at any time, or listen to the archived version later — but if you want to call in, you gots to be live!

Posted by LYT at 1:14 PM | Comments (1)

My Grandfather's Column

On the Boundary

As I write this I am somewhat pre-occupied with Test Cricket. In many amateur matches cricket is played without boundaries: perhaps if the ball is hit into a hedge or a road that's good enough to count as a four or six; but in the real game you have to have boundaries. If I'm a spectator at the Oval for example, it's good to sit as near to the boundary as possible but woe betide me if I trespass into the playing area. I shall soon be bustled off by a steward and even more forcefully if I've decided on streaking. If I'm a player and I decide to stand outside the boundary rope I shall quickly be put in my proper place by my captain. I may of course cross the boundary by mistake, trying for instance to catch a ball that's going to give us a wicket so long as I stay inside the boundary, whereas if I step over the boundary rope I'll be giving away six runs and a wicket. I could then be rather unpopular.

This look at cricket boundaries is very similar to the way almost all human groups behave. This is very clear if we look at political or religious parties. A good Liberal Democrat may worry about his leader - (too old?); a good Conservative may admire Mr Cameron but fear what changes he may want; a good Socialist may hate Mr Blair because of the Iraqi war. Yet for the most part all these will stay loyal to their party. Those who leave, and especially those who switch will incur the wrath of the majority of party members who want unity above all else. Traitors to our cause, collaborators with the enemy.should be abominated.

So it is that within religions groups will always be striving to maintain the 'purity' of their faith, while a minority will seek to move outside the traditional boundaries. In Iraq for many Sunnis the greatest enemy is not the occupiers but the Shia and vice versa. In Christianity it is 'heretics' who are more the enemy than atheists.

My hunch is though that it is precisely the people on the margins, at the boundaries who ultimately prevail and most help their cause. Winston Churchill did just that when he changed party allegiance, Jesus did that when he opposed the religious leaders of this time, who hated him so much that he had to be killed. For him love of his fellow men and women and children was of infinitely greater importance than the minute fulfilling of the law.

-Peter Graham

Posted by LYT at 11:46 AM | Comments (1)

June 10, 2007

Please watch the double-posts....

Edwin and David, I'm looking at you!

It can take a little while for your post to register, so don't impulsively click "Enter" two or three times.

Posted by LYT at 11:38 AM | Comments (13)

June 8, 2007

Hostel Part II...

...is good shit.

Hostel Part II : Hostel as The Devil's Rejects : House of 1000 Corpses.

Well done, Eli Roth. A big step forward.

And viewers: This isn't quite escapist horror. It may actually make you uncomfortable. It's meant to.

Posted by LYT at 2:56 AM | Comments (1)

June 7, 2007

My OC Weekly summer movie preview is online

It's not comprehensive, but it is awesome.

Here's the lede:

This isn’t going to be your typical rant about how summer movies suck, and only stupid people go to see sequels, and what can the grown-ups go to, et cetera. Frankly, if you’ve beaten your inner child so far into submission that you can’t understand why people like cartoons, explosions, or gratuitous bikini action, you might be better off visiting the opera house than the multiplex. But it might be nice to try to discern which of the digitally enhanced entertainment heading your way offers the most bang for the buck. Don’t panic; we’ve thrown in a couple of talky flicks as well, because you gotta come down from that adrenalin rush sometime.

and it all goes downhill from there

Posted by LYT at 2:55 PM | Comments (2)

The working title for the Transformers movie

Yes, this shirt is officially licensed. Go buy one!

Posted by LYT at 2:18 PM | Comments (2)

Flash!

I never knew before that Queen actually did a music video for the greatest hero theme ever.

Been trying to persuade Matt King of the glories of this movie. The video below may make or break my case.

Posted by LYT at 1:20 AM | Comments (7)

June 6, 2007

Some wrestling talk

If you don't watch WWE, feel free to skip this post.

On Monday, the company is set to hold a tri-branded draft. If this works as it has in the past, five wrestlers from each roster will switch to another one. The three rosters are Raw, Smackdown, and ECW.

Who would you draft, if you were head booker?

As someone who was in the running for that position, I figure what the hell, I'll offer up the picks I'd have chosen.

To RAW:
1. Monty Brown (I still have trouble calling him "Marcus Cor Von")
2. Chris Benoit (this is considered a sure thing)
3. King Booker
4. Michelle McCool
5. MVP

To Smackdown:
1. Kevin Thorn
2. Shelton Benjamin
3. C.M. Punk
4. Umaga
5. Santino Marella

To ECW:
1. Finlay
2. William Regal
3. Ric Flair
4. Armando Alejandro Estrada
5. Carlito

What would your picks be?

Posted by LYT at 12:02 AM | Comments (7)

June 4, 2007

The Invisible Movie

As of today, FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER is apparently not going to be screened for review at all, making it possibly the highest-profile film ever to shun reviewers like that. ALIEN VERSUS PREDATOR is the only comparable one I can think of...even GHOST RIDER actually had a screening, albeit the night before so that reviews would have to be delayed.

Allow me to speculate that this may be a mistake. Movies aimed at teens are pretty immune to criticism, but movies aimed at kids -- which this is, primarily -- must deal with their parents. Some parents will go to whatever the kids yell and scream about, but others, including my own way back when, won't go to poorly or unreviewed movies.

Time and box office receipts will tell. I bet this won't outgross its predecessor.

UPDATE: It seems it will be screening a mere two days before release -- but only certain people are invited or even being told about it, and I ain't one. Publicists sometimes act as if critics don't talk to each other.

Posted by LYT at 8:11 PM | Comments (6)

June 3, 2007

Thursday at Landmark

Note: The following originally appeared, briefly, on the OC Weekly blog, before being ruled insufficiently local. For those asking what the distinction is between what I blog about here and there, now you get an idea.

A lot of people ask me if, as a film critic, I'm able to see any movie any time I want for free. The answer is no, but the art house chains (Laemmle and Landmark) do grant me passes, because they tend to show movies that need critical support.

Which is why I'm tremendously happy that Landmark just opened a brand new 12-screen megaplex in West Los Angeles that will show the odd Hollywood movie as well as the indies. Staff can expect my ass to be parked there for the entirety of some weekends.

Last night was the grand opening, giving those of us in the press ample opportunity to eat for free and get loaded on Landmark's dime, in hopes that such treatment would equal praise and revenue for them down the line. And I will praise them, but not without some criticism. More on that later.

Another perk that critics sometimes have is the ability to see movies in private screening rooms with plush seats and/or couches – this experience is now open to the general public in four of the upper level screens at the new Landmark, which, I believe, is simply being called “The Landmark.” There are plusses and minuses to this – if the couch-filled screening rooms are sell-outs, you may have to sit next to some jackass on a double-wide seat, with no armrest to separate you, and gravity trying to force the beginnings of a lover's embrace. Just rife for problems there. Also, the couches in the front row are orange, which isn't bad until you think about what happens the first time someone spills their Coke, ice cream or red wine (yes, alcohol is available here) on it – poor theater employees. Do they come armed with carpet cleaner now?

The seat-numbering system is interesting – rather than consecutive digits, they have the middle seat in each row designated number 1, then all seats to the right are even-numbered, and all seats to the left odd. The thinking behind this is so that people reserving will know exactly how far from the center they are, but it's such a break with normal numbering that it seems likely to confuse.

More of a problematic seating issue is the closeness of seats to screen. I'm a notorious front-row guy, but the front rows here are idiotic – your seat is on the floor, but the screen is approximately SEVEN FEET above your head. An employee told me they won't even sell these seats to the public – they're just for guest Q&As. But then, why have them? Even a hardcore immersion dude like me can handle maybe the third row here, tops. (The rooms with the couches are fine, incidentally – front row up there is perfect, which makes it all the more frustrating they got it wrong elsewhere.)

Now, I'm no architecture critic, though if I were, I'd probably have a lot of awards by now, since the LA Press Club almost always gives their “Best Entertainment Reviews/Criticism” Trophy to an architecture critic. But there's one major design flaw in most of the new deluxe theaters being built that is really bothersome, and you'd think it would be obvious:

In a multi-level 12-plex with a wine bar, there is exactly ONE set of bathrooms. There are all of two urinals to service 12 theaters and a frickin' bar. This isn't going to be pretty.

The Arclight is rough enough – they have a bathroom on each level, but only at the entryway of a really long corridor. The Chinese 6-plex is worse – if you're on the upper level and not a VIP ticket holder, you have to run downstairs to take a leak, past the ticket-taker, who may need to see your ticket again. But at least there are many urinals to choose from, and they certainly aren't serving wine and beer.

There are a lot of options at the snack bar, from all the usual movie fare to exotic chocolate bars containing dried chilies, and foreign trail mix with lemongrass and dried pineapple. Maybe they should sell Depends too. I mean, who do you think the biggest client base is for art-house movies? I worked at the Sunset 5 a few years back, and can tell you – it's old people. And they're gonna love the downstairs trek to two urinals, I tellya whut.

Needless to say, at the opening night party, most people thought I was making too big a deal of this, when I could have better spent my time heavily mocking Laemmle Theaters' Greg Gardner for the string of dried beads he had around his neck. I suggested we should make a drinking game based on the number of times people told him that the new theater was going to crush Laemmle. Alas, he doesn't drink. I do, of course, but the first cocktail I was handed was horrifying, an alleged margarita made from Patron, which only proved that yes, you can fuck up Patron. I poured it out into the bathroom sink, and because it was all so pristine, I even carefully picked out the mint leaves and threw them in the trash.

A soju mudslide proved far more agreeable, though I couldn't get anyone to give me a straight answer as to what the theater bar will and won't serve. Advance buzz said no beer, just wine. Some folks here said beer and wine. Soju is often allowable under liquor license loopholes even if hard spirits are not. And then I got interviewed on camera by some reporters who swore to me that Jack Daniel's would be available, but this I doubt.

Some good frozen yogurt will be available courtesy of Yogurberry, which is kind of like Pinkberry except, well, I can't tell you, because I've never had Pinkberry. It's kinda sour and has strawberries mixed in, if that helps. Better than most movie ice cream. There's gonna be gourmet pizza and pretzels, too, but samples were not on hand. (Note: the concession stand and bar will be available to non-filmgoers too – not a bad deal since there aren't really any other bars in the Westside Pavilion.)

And for all the ragging I've been doing, the digital projection was crisp as all hell. The movies will look nice here. One thing this theater does that almost no others do, even though it's a very simple thing that improves picture quality, is paint the projection rooms black. Seriously, you'd be amazed how few are.

Posted by LYT at 2:39 PM | Comments (10)

June 1, 2007

Is it in Three Dimension?

Nope.

(seriously, readers, just subscribe to the OC blog's RSS, or bookmark it. This constant linkage is gonna get boring.)

Posted by LYT at 5:38 PM | Comments (2)

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