Movies Till Dawn: Crime and Punishment USA 2022

Posted on February 3, 2022 by Paul Gaita

“The Long Goodbye” (1973, Kino Lorber) A slovenly, muttering Philip Marlowe (Elliott Gould) navigates two disappearances – a close friend and a Hemingway-style author –but finds his efforts thwarted at every turn by something worse than organized crime: an incestuous, moral-free web of the Malibu scene, cure-all doctors, and hamfisted cops on both sides of the border. Robert Altman’s jaundiced take on Raymond Chandler’s 1953 detective novel won’t please its fans, but offers an honest and at times uncomfortably real look at the schizophrenia induced by living in an allegedly free-thinking and liberal city like Los Angeles (much of which remains accurate today). Gould’s sotto voce performance is among its chief appeals, as is John Williams’ clever score, which is echoed in nearly every diegetic sound; the eccentric cast, which includes baseball pitcher/scribe Jim Bouton, a (genuinely added) Sterling Hayden, Nina van Pallandt, director Mark Rydell, and a cameo by Arnold Schwarzenegger, adds to the electric circus vibe, while LA Plays Itself in glimpses of Gerald Ford-era Malibu (especially the Colony), Wilshire/Westwood, and the Hollywood Hills (Marlowe’s incredible digs in the High Tower Apartments). Kino’s Blu-ray balances a new 4K master and vintage material – interviews with Altman, Gould, and DP Vilmos Zsigmond, testimony on Altman, Chandler, and hard-boiled fiction – with a new commentary by Tim Lucas, among other extras.

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Celebrate Lunar New Year all Month Long!

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Elise Thompson

Photo by Mike Watt

Gung hay fat choy! Happy lunar new year! Today marks the beginning of the Year of the Tiger. We miss the annual Golden Dragon Parade in Chinatown, which is canceled again this year due to the pandemic surge. Don’t fret–there are still lots of other ways to welcome the Year of the Tiger.

Santa Monica Place at 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica is commemorating the Lunar New Year for the entire week, starting today, February 1st. The Center Plaza is all decked out with red and gold lanterns, and visitors are invited to hang their wishes on cherry blossom wishing trees. Traditionally, money is given in red envelopes at this time of year. Santa Monica Place merchants will offer red envelopes with special offers and discounts at the local shops and restaurants.

February 4, 2022 “The Gourmandise School will offer a Date Night: Lunar New Year Celebration class where Chef Katie Chin will teach participants how to make a tiger lily martini, chicken potstickers symbolizing prosperity, long life veggie noodles symbolizing longevity, a whole steamed fish symbolizing abundance and banana spring rolls with caramel sauce symbolizing prosperity.” Get 15% off with a red envelope.

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LA Through a Cracked Lens: Halle Berry Charms at Moonfall Premiere

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Brian Donnelly

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Howard Hessman Dies AT 81: Some Friendly Memories With ‘Dr. Johnny Fever’

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Ed Simon

“WKRP in Cincinatti Dr. Johnny Fever” by dcnerd is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Howard Hesseman passed away Saturday, due to complications from a surgery. He was 81. His career spanned many decades, but he’s probably known vest for his role as Dr. Johnny Fever, the counter-culture DJ on WKRP in Cincinnati which ran from 1978 through 1982. Howard Hesseman received two Emmy nominations for his work as Dr. Johnny Fever, playing what appeared to be an constantly inebriated crazy DJ, who nonetheless transformed into an amazingly competent and interesting DJ when he got in front of the mike.

In the late 70’s, I had a good friend who knew a lot of people in the music and movie production fields. At that time, I had just got my BA degree in Film Production and was trying to break into post production sound in Hollywood. I had known plenty of industry people for several years and so I was comfortable treating them as I did any of my other friends rather than fawning over them. Through my good friend Buddy, I wound up in a circle that included at times, David L. Lander (Squiggy on Laverne and Shirley, Who Framed Roger Rabbit), Donald Sutherland (Dirty Dozen, M*A*S*H*, Animal House, The Hunger Games); and Garry Goodrow (Escape from Alcatraz, Dirty Dancing and many writing and TV guest appearance credits).

At that time, Howard was riding high as Dr. Johnny Fever. Among us, though, he was just a nice, unassuming guy who enjoyed relaxing with friends. Many times our get togethers were at Howard’s house in the Hollywood Hills, a nice smaller home that was certainly not ostentatious. He was a very down to earth, friendly guy; and interesting to talk to. Sometimes we’d talk about work, or some of the guest spots on shows like Head of the Class and One Day at a Time and even Dragnet. Howard also had some choice movie roles in productions like Dr. Detroit and This Is Spinal Tap.

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PTSD: The Next Pandemic; A New Story From Author Jason Lee Morrison

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Ed Simon

Ed note: Jason Lee Morrison released this short story in conjunction with the new release of his first book, The Perfect Fucking Life; now at Amazon Books; and this week at Barnes and Noble. A full interview with Jason is coming up in the next week in The Los Angeles Beat. In my talks with him, this young writer has done a lot of stuff most of us (including me) can’t even imagine–and he writes about it. Think Hemingway, Bukowski–even Neal Cassady. 

When the dark doom of COVID first settled on the minds of people across the earth I found myself strangely at ease. As if I were in a familiar place. Many other veterans had the same feeling. It’s because we’ve been there before. When you go to war you get that same ominous sensation. As if death could happen at any minute. And you don’t know how much of it to expect. But you know it is coming. Most people, especially in the United States and the Western world were not familiar with it. But we all seem to be now. That pervasive weight of doom is the first tell of traumatic stress. I think it’s safe to say that by now the strain of this global pandemic has caused severe post-traumatic stress, writ large. Depression, suicide, anger, and other signatures are beginning to reveal themselves. The most insidious part of PTSD is that you don’t know that it’s happening to you. You don’t know what it is. So, you don’t know how to combat it. You just suddenly begin to struggle in ways that you have never struggled before. You start to slip. Very slowly and almost indiscernibly, but you are slipping nonetheless. It’s just too smooth to notice.

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watt’s picture of the week – tuesday, january 25, 2022

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Mike Watt

“you lookin at me?”

photo by mike watt

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mike watt’s hoot page

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Movies Till Dawn: The People Next Door

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Paul Gaita

“All Or Nothing” (2002, Severin Films) Studies in quiet (and not so quiet) desperation via three working class families in London, who respond to the millstone of daily life around their necks with a mix of heartbreak, defeat, and carelessness. Your appreciation for writer/director Mike Leigh‘s feature depends on your ability to navigate its unrelentingly downbeat atmosphere; Leigh does not sentimentalize their lives, as many American slice-of-life dramas do (“it sure is tough, this life, but we got each other!”) nor does he take the torture-as-drama approach (see: “Six Feet Under,” “Succession,” etc.). Leigh’s three families follow realistic paths to escape (or dig deeper into) their situations, which ultimately make the material palatable. His cast handles the emotional load with skill, with top-billed Timothy Spall and Lesley Manville earning excellent support from, among others, James Corden, Sally Hawkins, Ruth Sheen, and Helen Coker. Severin’s Blu-ray features a new master presentation as well as new interviews with Leigh, Manville, Corden, and cinematographer Dick Pope, among others.

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watt’s picture of the week – monday, january 17, 2022

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Mike Watt

seen near watt’s prac pad in san pedro, ca on january 17, 2022. photo by mike watt

is this the lucky shoe that means that you’re the lucky YOU?!

photo by mike watt

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mike watt’s hoot page

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Honor Betty White by Supporting the Animals

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Elise Thompson

Today would have been Betty White’s 100th birthday. There is a viral movement on social media asking everyone to donate just $5 to an animal charity to honor her memory. If you can afford to give more, do so, but the idea is that the littlest amount from many can make a big difference. Here are a few suggestions.

Actors and Others for Animals was founded in 1971 was to utilize celebrity to bring attention to the plight of animals. Betty White served on the Board of Directors and the organization created a Betty White Inspiration Award in her honor. DONATE

Best Friends Animal Society in Los Angeles works with a variety of animal rescue groups and city shelters with the goal of making Los Angeles a no-kill city. Best Friends hosts adoption and fundraising events, runs the Best Friends Lifesaving Center in Mission Hills, and leads the NKLA (No-kill Los Angeles) initiative. Consider fostering a pet during this critical time. DONATE

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Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day Differently this Year

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Elise Thompson

Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change by Rosa C Norman

Sadly, the Kingdom Day Parade, Inglewood’s Kingfest and many other annual events have been cancelled this year due to Omicron, but you can still observe the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. in the safety of your home.

Celebrate Remotely

The California African American Museum (CAAM) in Exposition Park will commemorate this day with this series of virtual programs. From 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. they will be holding a study group where you can “participate in a virtual community reading and discussion about King’s 1967 speech, “A Christmas Sermon on Peace.” Starting at noon, the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA), will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” as well as a medley of classic spirituals and original compositions. RSVP and join the event here.

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