birth.movies.death. february 2014 issue 8

7/22/2019 BIRTH.MOVIES.DEATH. February 2014 Issue 8

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/birthmoviesdeath-february-2014-issue-8 1/44



BIRTH.MOVIES.DEATH. / JANUARY 2014

http://drafthousefilms.com/film/cheap-thrills


http://drafthouse.com/movies/action_pack_love_bites_sing-along/



http://drafthousefilms.com/alliance



A Love Note

CONTENTS

THE MOVIES

152 Reasons I Love YOU’VE GOT MAIL

Why Do All Of My Favorite Romances Star Humphrey Bogart?

On Love and Art and The Movies

November Rain is the Greatest Power Ballad Of All Time

Scott Pilgrim vs.Himself

drafthouse.com badassdigest.com birthmoviesdeath.com drafthousefilms.com fantasticfest.com mondotees.com

Editor-in-ChiefDevin Faraci

Managing EditorMeredith Borders

Associate Publisher

Henri Mazza

Art Director Joseph A. Ziemba

Graphic DesignersCara Jackson, Stephen Sosa

Copy EditorGeorge Bragdon

Contributing WritersSarah Pitre, Evan Saathoff, Daniel Hernandez, Henri Mazza, Britt Hayes,

Greg MacLennan, R.J. LaForce

Public Relations InquiriesBrandy Fons | [email protected]

All content © 2013 Alamo Drafthouse

http://drafthouse.com/

http://badassdigest.com/

http://birthmoviesdeath.com/

http://drafthousefilms.com/

http://fantasticfest.com/

http://mondotees.com/

http://mondotees.com/

http://fantasticfest.com/

http://drafthousefilms.com/

http://birthmoviesdeath.com/


http://drafthouse.com/

http://drafthouse.com/movies/action_pack_moulin_rouge_sing-along/



http://drafthouse.com/movies/action_pack_moulin_rouge_sing-along/



Love is in the air this month at BIRH. MOVIES.DEAH. Yeah, focusing on love during the monthfeaturing Valentine’s Day might be obvious, but the

birth part of our title has to begin somewhere, right?Our favorite love stories span a huge chunk ofcinema history. his issue we cover everything fromCASABLANCA to EERNAL SUNSHINE OF HESPOLESS MIND and SCO PILGRIM VS. HE WORLD, and all sorts of points in between. WhetherNazis or Evil Exes, love’s always best when it has anobstacle, and we examine how in the end, Scott Pilgrimis his own worst obstacle when it comes to love.

Sometimes those obstacles can’t be overcome, andsometimes love doesn’t win in the end. But isn’t

doomed love the most romantic? We take a look at

doomed love stories across time, including WES

SIDE SORY.

We’re not total cynics, though. We know a swoon-

worthy suitor when we see one, which is why

we’re devoting pages to Humphrey Bogart. And

we also have an exhaustive list of reasons why the

sometimes maligned YOU’VE GO MAIL is

actually great. Seriously.

Don’t worry, the effects of cupid’s arrow will

probably wear off by March, and we’ll be back to

fist fights and gun battles. In the meantime enjoy

the (bitter) sweetness. 6

A Love Note

DEVIN FARACIBadass Digest Editor in Chief

@devincf

Read more at badassdigest.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

https://twitter.com/devincf








CASABLANCADir. Michael Curtiz, 1942, PG, 102 min

CASABLANCA deservedly remains one of the

most beloved Hollywood films; it’s one of the

true classics that feels like a genuinely timeless

and completely new work of art. Hollywood workaholic Michael Curtiz turns what could have

been a paint-by-numbers Hollywood romance into

an emotionally draining, incredibly entertaining,

perfectly executed tale of love, greed, loss, murder,

betrayal and loyalty.

Its influence can’t be overstated, its flawless

script will never be praised enough. And there’s

Bogey and Ingrid Bergman, giving the defining

performances of their careers. Curtiz’s too-good-to-

believe cast also includes Claude Rains, Peter Lorre

and Sydney Greenstreet.

here are few films that are unmissable for all types

of movie fans. CASABLANCA is one of them

(R.J. LaForce).

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OFTHE SPOTLESS MINDDir. Michel Gondry, 2004, R, 108 min

Charlie Kaufman’s inventive script and MichelGondry’s deep bag of tricks perfectly complement

each other in this tale of love and loss. Jim Carrey,

who has never been better, and Kate Winslet,

continuously perfect as always, are the heartsick

couple trying to forget each other in this visual

feast. his film will sneak its way into your heart

and shatter you from the inside out. Happy

Valentine’s Day everybody! (Greg MacLennan)

MOULIN ROUGEDir. Baz Luhrmann, 2001, PG-13, 127 min

If you’re a true romantic, you already know the story:Christian (Ewan McGregor) moves to Paris to pursuea Bohemian lifestyle and then of course falls into a

doomed love affair with Satine (Nicole Kidman), themost beautiful girl at the Moulin Rouge.

But until you’ve seen the movie and sung the songs andlearned that lesson in a movie theater with 200 otherheart-swept people, you’ll never really know what it’s liketo be in love. Your heart will swell! Your lungs will burst! Your brain will explode with rainbows!

Bring a date, or else make sure you choose your seatcarefully, because you WILL end up falling in love withthe person sitting next to you. As always, we’ll haveprops for some special interaction, including blinking

rings for “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” and greenglow sticks for the Green Fairy.

And start warming up your leg muscles now, because we’re kicking off this whole shebang with a Can-Candance contest! Your gift is your song, so come give it all

you’ve got at the Moulin Rouge. (Henri Mazza)

SABRINADir. Billy Wilder, 1954, UR, 113 min

Charmingly funny and heart-warmingly romantic,Billy Wilder’s SABRINA takes the traditionalCinderella storyline and flips it on its head in thissatirical look at class and romance. Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn all shine in thischarming comedic gem. And of course, there’s plentyof drinking. So we asked Alamo Beverage Director BillNorris to whip up some fancy cocktails for this one so we can enjoy it in style. (Greg MacLennan)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BUY TICKETS

BUY TICKETS

BUY TICKETS

This February, the Alamo Drafthouse celebrates the spirit of Valentine’s Day all month long with a

slate of love-themed national programming. For tickets, showtimes, formats, and a full list of titles,visit drafthouse.com .

Screening In February At The Alamo Drafthouse

BUY TICKETS

http://drafthouse.com/calendar/











SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLDDir. Edgar Wright, 2010, PG-13, 112 min

SCO PILGRIM VS. HE WORLD is a film of

pure joy. A love letter to geek culture from Edgar

Wright and Bryan Lee O’Malley, this film was

criminally underappreciated during its initial theatrical

release, but of course Alamo audiences immediatelyknew we had something special on our hands and so a

bunch of us flocked to the theater to watch it again and

again. All of those repeat viewings led to an even deeper

appreciation of the film, and before long we noticed

that a lot of lines from the movie had crept into our

every day speech.

“Bread makes you fat?”

“I have to go pee due to boredom.”

“You punched me in the boob! Prepare to die, obviously.”

Okay, we don’t have a lot of occasion to use that last

one, but any time a boob is punched that is definitely

the line we use. Te point is, we love love love SCO

PILGRIM so much that you could say we’re in lesbians

with this movie. Not only that, but the film itself is so

romantic, albeit in a somewhat strange way, that we

knew it was the perfect new addition to the Alamo’s

celebration of love for February. Because when Scott

realizes that he wasn’t just fighting for Ramona and was

also... wait. Tat might be a spoiler to some of you.

We love SCO PILGRIM. We love you. So once

again we’ve built a separate subtitle track for all of our

favorite lines of dialogue, and we’ll project them on

screen alongside the movie karaoke-style so you can say

all of them perfectly in time with the characters. We’ll

also have lightning sticks for everyone to use whenever

we’re rocking out with Sex Bob-omb or fighting off an

evil ex, and every time an ex is destroyed we’ll shower

the theater in gold coins. It’s the SCO PILGRIM

VS HE WORLD Quote-Along, and it will punch the

highlights right out of your hair. (Henri Mazza)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BUY TICKETS





WEST SIDE STORY Dir. Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise, 1961, UR, 152 min

WES SIDE SORY is a musical that encompasses

songs both catchy and emotional. It knows when to

make your feet tap and when to make your heart

feel. It’s one of those films that’s equally

exhilarating and heartbreaking at the same time.

But what really sets this cinematic masterpiece

apart from the rest is its striking, effective and

mesmerizing combination of realism and stage

performance. Shot on location in Manhattan, the

film’s gritty aesthetic is juxtaposed with some of the

best stylized choreography in film history.

Tis combination allows the film to shift from a strong

visual sensibility to stagey, melodramatic performances

that find themselves in the same movie as powerful,

grounded acting.

One minute you’ll have a hoot while the Jets sing“Officer Krupke,” then your heart will melt when ony

and Maria share a love song and then you’ll cry as the

film goes from inspired, life-affirming fare to tragedy.

WES SIDE SORY remains the greatest example of

the Hollywood musical. (R.J. LaForce)

YOU’VE GOT MAILDir. Nora Ephron, 1998, PG, 119 min

While some of Nora Ephron’s other films are far morecritically acclaimed, there’s something about this moviethat never fails to make me feel absolutely wonderful.Maybe it’s the charming chemistry between Meg Ryanand om Hanks. Perhaps it’s the deliciously quirky

supporting actors like Steve “Nut Shop” Zahn, Greg“Lone Reed” Kinnear, Parker “She Makes Coffee Nervous”Posey and Jean “He Ran Spain” Stapleton.Ten there’s the adorable email banter with dated AOLreferences and dial-up modem connections. And of course,the fact that the entire film is basically a love letter to New York City certainly doesn’t hurt.

But if I had to choose the one element most responsiblefor this film’s greatness, it would definitely be NoraEphron. She wrote the screenplay, and her dazzlinginsight and humor shine through every single line. Shealso directed the film, infusing each scene with a lovely,

sparkling vibrancy and a deep comprehension of thehuman heart.

With YOU’VE GO MAIL, Ephron managed tocapture 152 insights into our souls, and we’ll celebrate hercinematic greatness at this month’s Girlie Night. Oh, andif anyone wants to bring me a bouquet of newly sharpenedpencils, I won’t mind. (Sarah Pitre) 6

BIRTH.MOVIES.DEATH. / NOVEMBER 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BUY TICKETS BUY TICKETS








Confession:I have watched YOU’VE GO MAIL about 200 times.

Just kidding, I’ve seen it at least 300 times, but I wanted to

cleverly reference the part in the film when Kathleen Kelly(Meg Ryan) tells Joe Fox (om Hanks) about her obsession with PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, because I am that muchof a nerd about this movie. In honor of Joe’s AOL handle,NY152, I’ve created a list that explains why YOU’VEGO MAIL is my favorite film of all time.

p.s. You can see the list on full display this month at the Alamo, where we’ll be screening YOU’VE GO MAIL aspart of our Girlie Night series. You’re welcome!

1. Nora Ephron.

2. A bouquet of newly sharpened pencils.3. om Hanks & Meg Ryan, a.k.a.

the ultimate movie couple.4. As the Storybook Lady, Kathleen reads from

Roald Dahl’s BOY.5. “Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today, I saw one! It got on at 42nd and off at 59th, where, I assume, it was going to Bloomingdale’s to buy a hat that will turn out to be a mistake, as almost all hats are.”6. Brinkley the dog.7. Parker Posey as Patricia Eden.8. F-O-X.

9. he Cranberries montage of NYC in the fall.10. A happy ending.11. Rose, the cashier at Zabar’s.12. A Starbucks cappuccino only costs $2.95.13. Steve Zahn as George.14. “What should I pack for my summer vacation? Leave the gun, take the cannoli.”15. he Shop Around the Corner.16. Daisies are the friendliest flower.17. Dave Chappelle as Kevin.

18. Commentary on the internet age: “he odd thing about this form of communication is that you’re more likely to talk about nothing than something. But I just want to say that all this nothing has meant more

to me than so many somethings.”19. Cafe Lalo.20. Wonderfully dated AOL references.21. A scene that passes the Bechdel test.22. “You are daring to imagine that you

could have a different life.”23. winkle lights.24. he Shoe Books.25. Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.”26. “He ran Spain.”27. Heather Burns as Christina.28. he Nut Shop, where it’s fun.

29. “Patricia makes coffee nervous.”30. Meg Ryan’s adorable haircut.31. wirling.32. Greg Kinnear as

Frank Navasky.33. he neighborhood carnival

on the Upper West Side.34. “Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small

life - well, valuable, but small- and sometimes I wonder,do I do it because I like it, or

because I haven’t been brave?So much of what I see remindsme of something I read in a book, when shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

35. Frank’s off-key Christmas caroling.

152 Reasons I Love YOU’VE GOT MAIL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

@poshdeluxe


SARAH PITRE

Alamo Drafthouse Programmer

http://twitter.com/poshdeluxe







36. Caviar: Garnish or Not a Garnish?37. Jean Stapleton as Birdie.38. Joe’s charming grandfather (“I think we might have had a date once.”).39. Kathleen’s cozy apartment.40. “WHERE ARE MY IC-ACS?”41. he time they thought Frank was the Unabomber.42. “My father’s getting married again. For the past five

years he’s been living with a woman named Gillian,

who studied decorating at Caesar’s Palace.”43. Dabney Coleman as Nelson Fox.44. Louis Armstrong’s “Dummy Song.”45. “I tried to have cybersex once, but I kept getting

a busy signal.”46. Saying hello to New Jersey.47. Joe’s dislike of Joni Mitchell.48. Gillian running away with Nanny Maureen.49. “he number of people who think

he looks like Clark Gable.”50. “One hundred and fifty-two people who think he looks like a Clark Bar.”

51. Kathleen, finally delivering a zinger.52. Kathleen’s face, after delivering the zinger.53. Joe’s dysfunctional “American” family.54. Meg Ryan’s super cute wardrobe.55. “Confession: I have read PRIDE AND PREJUDICE about 200 times. I get lost in the language, words like ‘thither,’ ‘mischance,’ ‘felicity.’”56. Kathleen and Joe’s amazing kiss (seconded by Brinkley).57. Frank’s typewriters.58. When Birdie talks to Kathleen’s dead mom.59. Barney Greengrass.60. 1998.

61. Based on PARFUMERIE by Miklós László.62. Kathleen: “And what’s so wrong with being personal, anyway?” Joe: “Uh, nothing.” Kathleen: “Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.”63. Ultradorm.64. Joe pretending to strike out on the carnival Strongman Game.65. Internet love.66. he preciousness of Matt Fox.67. Gray’s Papaya.68. he moment when Joe falls for Kathleen.69. he moment when Kathleen falls for Joe.

70. Bobby Day’s “Rockin’ Robin.”71. he ease of channeling Kathleen when recommending a book. “Read it. I know you’ll love it.”72. Joe’s certainty that Shopgirl is pretty.73. “Well, as far as I’m concerned, the Internet is just another way of being rejected by women.”74. Kevin’s romantic advice about taking things to

the next level.75. Kathleen and Joe’s shame over how much they love checking their email.76. he charmingly outdated opening credits.

77. Kathleen’s lame mirror trick at Cafe Lalo.78. George’s eucalyptus candles, which make his apartment smell mossy.79. “Brinkley is a great catcher and was offered a tryout on the Mets farm team but he chose to stay with me so that he could spend 18 hours a day sleeping on a large green pillow the size of an inner tube.”80. Kathleen, pretending to be Muhammad Ali.81. A lone reed.

82. Patricia’s commentary on the Rosenbergs.83. Wondering what Kathleen’s book will be about.84. “If she turns out to be as good looking as a mailbox, I would be crazy enough to turn my life upside down and marry her.”85. Joe’s hatred of the squeaky mice voices in CINDERELLA.

86. he clichéd meet-up device: a book with a rose in it.87. Living in a boat.88. he delightful farmers market.89. Social commentary about big box stores buying out mom and pop shops.90. he fact that big box stores are now suffering.

92. “Mr. 152 insights into my soul.”92. Zabar’s.93. Kathleen and Frank’s fight in the movie theater.94. he excitement over getting an email from your crush.95. Joe’s strategic competition for Kathleen’s affections with his AOL alter ego.96. Harry Nilsson’s cover of “Over the Rainbow.”97. Kathleen rising like a phoenix from the

ashes of her bookstore.98. Verdi Square.99. “I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly.”100. Picturing George working for Fox Books.

101. he poster of Eloise in the Shop Around the Corner.102. om Hanks’ ad-libbed line,

“Good thing it wasn’t the fish.”103. Kathleen wondering if Mr. Darcy and Lizzie will really end up together.104. New York in the spring.105. he way Joe looks at Kathleen when he says,

“Oh, how I wish you would.”106. he Upper West Side as a character in the film.107. Frank’s bizarre chemistry with the V interviewer.108. “hank your.”109. Kathleen thinking that NY152 would never do anything

as prosaic as using his address in his AOL handle.110. Dave Chappelle’s swagger.111. he gun hand signs Joe and his grandfather

make to each other.112. Kathleen’s pajamas.113. Frank: “Name me one thing, one, that we’ve

gained from technology.” Kathleen: “Electricity.”Frank: “hat’s one.”

114. he Storybook Lady hat.115. Kathleen, gesturing with a knife.

TABLE OF CONTENTS



BIRTH. MOVIES.DEATH. / JANUARY 2014

TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTS




116. 91st Street Garden.117. “Happy hanksgiving back.”118. Parker Posey’s snores.119. Joe sending Kevin to check out Shopgirl.120. Kathleen’s ridiculously adorable sick voice.121. he Wayne hiebaud poster in Kathleen’s kitchen.122. Christina’s tie and sweater combo.123. “Good night, dear void.”124. Joe and Kathleen would never fight about which

video to rent on a Saturday night.125. Birdie Conrad’s name is the reverse of Conrad Birdie.126. he cute prehistoric nature of Joe and

Kathleen’s laptops.127. Nelson: “Perfect. Keep those West-Side liberal

nuts, pseudo-intellectuals…” Joe: “Readers, Dad.hey’re called readers.” Nelson: “Don’t do that, son.Don’t romanticize them.”

128. Kathleen’s handkerchief.129. Fox Books’ attractiveness in spite of your

inclination to hate it.130. Joe’s obsession with HE GODFAHER.

131. Matt and Joe rocking the oversized sunglasses.132. he way Kathleen grasps at her throat because she’s too overwhelmed with emotion over Joe’s

declaration of affection.

133. How Joe and Kathleen mouth the words“You’ve got mail.”

134. Patricia’s unabashed cattiness.135. “his is the Upper West Side, man. We might as well tell them we’re opening up a crack house.”136. Joe falling off the treadmill.137. he New Yorkers behind Kathleen in line at Zabar’s.138. “As if you were one of those stupid 22-year-old-girls with no last name? ‘Hi, I’m Kimberly!’ ‘Hi, I’m

Janice!’ Don’t they know you’re supposed to have a last name? It’s like they’re an entire generation of

cocktail waitresses.”139. Joe squished into the kids’ ride at the carnival.140. Christina on cyber sex: “Well, you know what,

don’t do it. Because the minute you do, they lose allrespect for you.”

141. H&H Bagels.142. he guy with the cape that walks into Cafe Lalo.143. “Never marry a man who lies.”144. Birdie’s glasses.145. Dial-up modems.

146. Joe’s classy grandfather clock.147. Christina’s disdain for Brooklyn.148. “When you read a book as a child, it becomes a

part of your identity in a way that no other reading inyour life does.”

149. he flowers in 91st Street Garden.150. Annabelle’s performance of “omorrow.”151. Kathleen’s shock over receiving an instant message.152. he romance of written correspondence. 6

TABLE OF CONTENTS




Why Do All Of MyFavorite Romances Star

Humphrey Bogart?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EVAN SAATHOFFBadass Digest News Editor

@sam_strange


http://twitter.com/sam_strange







TABLE OF CONTENTS

Genuine big screen romance is a hard one to pull off,so hard that many films don’t even bother. Ratherthan develop a relationship that feels real on all levels,filmmakers often communicate love through a kind ofshorthand. Here’s a handsome guy. here’s a pretty girl.Something cute happens. Maybe they bicker. At theend of the film they’re totally making out. It’s about asemotionally moving as watching some new lady fall inlove with James Bond.

Of the cinematic romances that actually stay withpeople, many gain poignancy through unconventionalpairings. Films like HAROLD & MAUDE, ALI:FEAR EAS HE SOUL and newer entries suchas MOONRISE KINGDOM all focus on atypicalromantic couples and yet supply warm, meaningfulrelationships. For whatever reason, it’s easier to fall for aromance between two ugly aliens than some cinematicfling between Sarah Jessica Parker and, say, DylanMcDermott (unless they’re playing ugly aliens).

No actor I know of has succeeded at illustrating this

notion better than Humphrey Bogart. A quintessentialrepresentation of an increasingly antiquated era,Bogart’s highly specific particularities would have littlechance of making it in films today, save maybe as acharacter actor. Even as a young man, he resemblessomeone’s grandfather. And yet, my absolute favoriteromances are all Humphrey Bogart films.

I don’t see how any straightforward love story could topHE AFRICAN QUEEN. he film grows even greater

the older it gets because it so frequently teases modernexpectations only to casually avoid them and give ussomething pleasantly surprising instead. Bogart’s rogueriverboat captain and Katharine Hepburn’s straight-laced spinster are neither as roguish and straight-laced as we predict. He ends up being a total softy. Meanwhileshe shamelessly revels in the dangerous excitement andviolent freedom fighting their adventure provides.

While they bicker and flirtatiously eye each other inturn, their romance occurs with the flip of a switch andeven catches us a little off-guard. he film’s chastity ispart of its charm. he couple’s closest proximity to sexualtension comes via baths on opposite sides of the boatin full-body undergarments. heir sudden unity comesacross not with physical passion but mere smiles and the warmth with which Hepburn shifts from calling Bogart“Dear” instead of “Mr. Allnut.”

But they are, put simply, absolutely adorable together,and because their journey involves leeches, makeshifttorpedoes and an impromptu wedding at the gallows, it’san adorability that exists within an adventure context,rather than driving the story altogether. Whether theyfall in love or not, they are still going to drive the Queenright into a massive German gunboat. hey are badassesfirst, lovers second.

his idea carries over somewhat into the wartime lost-love we find in CASABLANCA. Among so many other

merits, CASABLANCA succeeds because it tells the




TABLE OF CONTENTS

story of a sub-hero who must give up the woman he

loves to a far bigger hero than himself. In typical love

triangle narratives, we usually expect the pining party

to have greater merits than the jock-y jerk who ends

up with the girl, but in this case Bogart’s Rick

Blaine never had a chance with Ingrid Bergman’s Ilsa

Lund. His rival, Paul Henreid’s Victor Laszlo, is an

already legendary man of action and importance.

Furthermore, his love for Ilsa is just as genuine andlarge as Rick’s, if not larger.

Rick holds the key to Victor and Ilsa’s shared escape

from Casablanca. He could have her, free and clear

of Laszlo. Doing so, however, would not only split

up a near mythical romance already in progress, but

could also rob the Resistance of a powerful ally. So

Rick forgoes his own happiness for the greater good, a

conclusion with all the sadness of a tragic romance but

without the benefit of death or histrionics.

his could also be said for Nicholas Ray’s IN A

LONELY PLACE. he romance here between Bogart

and co-star Gloria Grahame explores a much darker

love than the slight bitterness found in CASABLANCA.

While HE AFRICAN QUEEN highlight’s Bogart’s

stance as a rugged everyman and CASABLANCA

smolders with the weary but quick-witted charm that

informed many of his private eye characters, IN A

LONELY PLACE is all about psycho Bogart.

Bogart’s Dixon Steele and Grahame’s Laurel Gray meet

when she supplies him with an alibi for a murder we

slowly realize he may have committed after all. he two

fall in love soon after, and the new romance invigorates

the normally hotheaded and unhinged Steele. He stops

drinking and grows almost giddy with happiness. But

at his worst, Steele still displays severe anger issues and

violent tendencies that put Gray in danger.

Steele and Gray’s entire relationship dances on the edgeof a knife and paradoxically generates a better romance

for it. Bogart supplies the film with a character equally

terrifying and compelling, and you genuinely want to see

him keep the happiness he finds with Gray. he film’s

central tension revolves around whether or not Gray can

fix this broken, dangerous man and ends with her giving

up the fight. You don’t blame her, but that does’t make

the conclusion any less heartbreaking.

here’s just something about Humphrey Bogart. For

a guy defined either by toughness, street-smarts or

insanity, he stands as one of cinema’s all-time greatromantic leading men. Even the largely platonic female

relationships found in HE BAREFOO CONESSA

or KEY LARGO, for instance, still feel particularly

moving and special. If I were a lady, and if I had a time

machine (that worked!), I would totally try to hook up

with him and/or have him walk me down the aisle at my

wedding. Maybe to Jack Palance.6




TABLE OF CONTENTS

On Love and Artand The Movies

DAN HERNANDEZBadass Digest Contributor


@dreamofelectric


http://twitter.com/dreamofelectric







All love is doomed to end in tragedy.

God, but that’s grim. It’s cool, though. he basictruth that love, especially romantic love, is going to

end is part of what makes it so special. Love would bemeaningless if it were not fleeting.

his is something that we, culturally, have struggledto fully internalize, nevermind comprehend. his idea,

that love is worth seeking even though it must surelyend, has been the basis of great art throughout thecourse of human history. “It is better to have love andlost,” and all that jazz.

All forms of art have their own inimitable methodsof communicating. he immediacy of a paintingcannot be captured by even the most eloquent poetry.Music affects our souls before our minds in a way that

architecture, for all of its ability to utterly transform

space, cannot approach. Comic books are unique

among the narrative arts in that this medium is the

only one that can express internal monologue and

external dialogue simultaneously. And then there is

cinema. here is no other art form that can reflect

human truths as directly and honestly as movies can.

And some of the all-time greatest films have explored

the yearning for and ultimate loss of romantic love.CASABLANCA, WES SIDE SORY and

EERNAL SUNSHINE OF HE SPOLESS

MIND feature three of our greatest screen romances.

But while the stories of Rick and Ilsa, Maria and

ony, and Joel and Clementine are each beautiful

and moving and tragic, they also very clearly and very

directly speak to their times.



Much of the beauty of great movies lies in the depthof meaning that can be found in them. his is partof what contributes to their timelessness. Love storiesin particular hold up well over the years for this veryreason. All love stories are metaphorical.

1942’s CASABLANCA is the story of Americanexpatriate Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), runninghis bar in the titular city of Casablanca and generally

trying to be at peace despite the effects of World WarII encroaching on his comfortable life. hat life takesa turn when former lover Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman)reenters it and Rick must decide between winning herback or helping her husband, Czech Resistance leaderVictor Lazlo (Paul Henried), escape Morocco andcontinue his fight against the Nazis. Rick’s ultimatedecision to join the war effort despite the loss of hispersonal happiness reflects American popular opinionduring the years leading to the United States’ entryinto World War II.

In 1942 America had not yet committed to the warthat was engulfing Europe and threatening to overtakethe rest of the world. But many Americans at the timefelt it was their duty to fight against the Nazis and the Axis forces. Rick’s sacrificing of his love for greatervirtue is heroic and inspiring when seen in the contextof the generation CASABLANCA was made for, acall to arms against a tyrannical force even if it meanssurrendering personal comfort.

Skip ahead nearly twenty years to 1961’s WESSIDE SORY, an adaptation of the 1957 stage playof the same name and one of the best musicals everput to film, and we can see that the theme of thetragic end of love is still being explored and usedto reflect the world. But where the loss of Rick andIlsa’s love in CASABLANCA is seen as righteoussacrifice in service of a greater good, WES SIDESORY’s central romance is tragic in the classicsense of the word. In the f ilm ony Wyzek (RichardBeymer, with a vocal assist from Jimmy Bryant), theformer leader of the New York City street gang the Jets, falls in love with Maria Nuñez (Natalie Wood, with Marni Nixon singing), who is closely associated with the Puerto Rican rival gang the Sharks. Mariaand ony’s budding romance stands in stark contrastagainst the rising tensions between the Jets and

Sharks, tensions that lead to violence and dire

consequences for all involved.

ony eventually finds himself dragged into the

escalating conflict, avenging the murder of his best

friend and setting in motion a cycle of violence that

only ends with Maria’s impassioned and terrifying

reaction to his own death. WES SIDE SORY is

explicitly about race relations and the hardships New

York City was facing in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s.

Maria and ony’s tragic romance is a warning against

that escalating violence and hatred.

Decades later, Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman

explored the notion of romance and memory in

the 21st century with EERNAL SUNSHINE

OF HE SPOLESS MIND. he premise -- two

people meet for the first time after having their entire

previous relationship erased from their memories

-- is indicative of a generation desperate to run from

pain and hardship without understanding what thatactually entails.

Do you remember 2004? 2004 was a garbage year.

It was the perfect time for EERNAL SUNSHINE

OF HE SPOLESS MIND to hit the popular

consciousness and eviscerate the very idea of denial.

Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet play Joel Barish and

Clementine Kruczynski, and through a series of

flashbacks in the form of Joel having his memories of

Clementine erased, we see the entire course of their

relationship play out, from stale and bitter ending

to promising, hopeful start. At the end of the film, Joel and Clementine have rekindled the relationship

they didn’t know they had extinguished, only to be

confronted with the worst parts of that relationship.

And they fall in love anyway.

hat’s the underlying truth of these three films. Love

hurts. In CASABLANCA love leads to sacrifice. In

WES SIDE SORY it leads to suffering, but a

suffering that heals all wounds. And in EERNAL

SUNSHINE OF HE SPOLESS MIND love is

stubborn and bull-headed and maybe idiotic, even

(especially!) in the face of disaster. All love is doomed

to end in tragedy. And it is always, always worth it. 6




November Rain Is TheSingle Greatest Power

Ballad Of All TimeHENRI MAZZABMD Associate Publisher

@henrimazza


http://twitter.com/henrimazza









TABLE OF CONTENTS

he year was 1983, and the band at the time was calledLA Guns. But even though the album USE YOURILLUSION I wouldn’t be released for another nineyears, Axl Rose was already working on the singlegreatest power ballad of all time: November Rain.

“When we were doing that EP for L.A. Guns, like ’83? Hewas playing “November Rain,” guitarist raci Gunns hassaid in interviews.“And it was called November Rain —

you know, on piano. The guitar solo is amazing. Way backthen. It was the only thing he knew how to play, but it washis. He’d go, ‘Someday this song is gonna be really cool.’

“And I’d go, ‘It’s cool now.’

‘“But it’s not done,’ you know, he used to say. And, like,anytime we’d be at a hotel or anywhere, there’d be a piano;he’d just kinda play that music.

“And I’d go, ‘When are you gonna finish that already,’ you know?

And he’d go, ‘I don’t know what to do with it.’”

So Axl took his time with it, and he struggled withcomposing for strings and orchestras and everythingbigger than what Guns ‘n Roses had traditionallybeen. And he pulled the rest of the band through theiruncertainty about recording a “soft” song like that, atone point getting them to record a 20 minute demobefore they all arranged it down to a much moremanageable eight minutes and 57 seconds.

Was that struggle worth it? Of fucking course it was.Because it is without a doubt the greatest Power Ballad

in the History of the World.

Now, that’s a grandiose statement, the kind ofstatement that argumentative readers are going to loveto attack. But while there are all sorts of indisputablygreat power ballads out there, I will forever standbehind November Rain as the ultimate best. Let’sbreak it down:

What is a power ballad? here are several definitions,usually used to help sell different compilation albumsand ime Life CD collections, but for the most parta power ballad is what happens any time a hard rock

band slows it down a little bit and shows their softunderbelly so they can sing about love, heartache andemotions. Bands in the ‘70s and ‘80s started recordingpower ballads on their hard rock albums for a couple ofreasons -- they would become enormously popular, andit was a great way to get laid after the show.

So if power ballads have been around since at least the1970s, then how can anyone say that some song by acrazy person released in 1992 is the best of all of them?Let’s start by looking at some of the competition.

First off, the obvious granddaddy: Stairway o Heaven.Song for song, album for album, legend for legend, LedZeppelin is clearly a superior band to Guns ‘n Roses.But November Rain has something really strong goingfor it that Stairway is missing simply because of thetime it was released, and that is an incredible musicvideo. Plus, while Stairway is such a staple of guitarplaying that Wayne Campbell has his Stairway denied when he picks up his dream guitar in the music store,

Slash’s solo in the middle of November Rain, with thathelicopter flying over him, pretty much epitomizes thevision of the rock god that everyone who has picked upan electric guitar wants to become.

Aerosmith’s Dream On has a lot of similarities toNovember Rain, even a music video built around theband performing on stage with a string section behindthem. But that wasn’t an official music video release,and was just part of MV’s ten year anniversary… sothat video and the string arrangement and everythingthat happened after November Rain was clearly

capitalizing on that song’s success.

Of course, Aerosmith had every right to steal from Axl,since he was so clearly inspired by the band’s earlierpower ballads from the ‘70s. But still, no scenes basedon a short story by Del James? Keep on dreaming,Dream On. Points to November Rain again.

hen there’s the other obvious choice, Free Bird, butunfortunately that song is now mostly a joke yelledout by drunken douchebags at any concert for anyband in the world, so it’s automatically disqualified.I know it’s not the song’s fault, but that legacy can

never be escaped.

Now some of you have jumped ahead and are alreadythinking, “Wait! What about Bonnie yler? Whatabout some motherfucking otal Eclipse Of heHeart?!?!”

And yeah, that’s another really, really great powerballad. And it has one of the most famously awesomemusic videos of all time, too. It does have one strikeagainst it, in that if you’ve ever worked as a karaokeDJ you hate that song more than any other by anyrecording artist from any era due to the fact that you’ve

had to watch sorority girls sing it and think they’rehilarious five times a night, so, yeah. hat hurts it.

hat’s also what kills Journey’s attempt to win thecrown. Don’t Stop Believing is another incrediblepower ballad that people in karaoke rooms across the world consistently think they are the first people to ever“remember.” Plus there’s no video, just a live concertrecording from a show in Houston. It’s great, and StevePerry’s jeans are very, very tight, but it doesn’t feature amodel in a wedding dress with a mini-skirt front that



shows off alllll of her legs, so if you’re a junior highkid watching MV in the 1990s, it’s simply not aspowerful, and that’s an important part of becoming theBest Song of All ime in any category.

But again, HESE ARE ALL AMAZING SONGS. And there are so many other great power ballads, too, which is obviously why we’ve produced the ActionPack’s Love Bites Sing-Along parties at Alamo theaters

everywhere for so many years now.

I mean, I love love love the song and crazy music video where you watch a couple age and die while REOSpeedwagon looks off camera very earnestly and sings ICan’t Fight his Feeling.

I love crazy Meat Loaf and his Michael Bay-directed“I guess the one thing he won’t do is turn you into avampire” music video for I Would Do Anything ForLove (But I Won’t Do hat).

I straight up cry every time I watch the video for Cyndi

Lauper’s ime After ime, and I really hope someoneeventually told Foreigner what love is.

I could go on and on and talk about other really goodpower ballads, but the fact remains that there can onlybe one Best of the Best, and it’s gotta be NovemberRain. It’s beautiful and soaring and epic and batshitfucking crazy all at the same time. In the video it startsraining during a wedding and so someone JUMPSHROUGH HE WEDDING CAKE. o get out ofthe rain? Why would you do that?

And thanks to the Internet, we can now all go to

Scribd and find a copy of the short story it was basedon, “Without You” by Del James, so we can start tounderstand a little bit about what is going on in thevideo. Not much, mind you, because “Without You”is sloppy, terrible writing, but we can see that it’s a

story about a rock star whose girlfriend kills herself byshooting herself in the head, and so in that scene atthe end of the video with Axl’s new wife in a coffin,the mirror is there because the other half of her face isgone. And then Axl keeps having dreams about it, sohe drinks a lot, and… I think that’s it. BU HA’S ALL YOU NEED.

Here’s a typical passage from “Without You”:

Sipping deeply from the bottle, he flipped through the

photo album that was all too short, carefully avoiding the

final page. He rarely looked at the last page. As always,

he wound up back on page two. With the bottle two-

thirds empty, he pulled his pants and briefs down to his

knees and poured the remaining champagne onto his

palms. This was part of the ritual. Fine champagne wassomething he and Elizabeth enjoyed sharing. He could

still share it with her. As he took hold of his wet erection,

his thoughts began to slip…

Now imagine, if you will, Axl Rose in the late ‘80s,still working on the piano piece for the song that would become his masterpiece. here’s a moment where he reads this short story in its entirety, andhe says, “YES.”

he man at the time was a Rock God, butimmortalizing that story with the text at the end for hisgreatest music video ever was the most baller thing hecould have possibly done.

But there’s one other reason November Rain is thegreatest power ballad of all time -- it’s one of the longest.

hat means that if you’re lucky enough to get to dance with someone you like and that song comes on, you’regoing to be awkwardly close to them for almost nine fullminutes. hat’s two minutes longer than seven minutesin heaven, so use your time wisely. 6




SCOTT PILGRIM Vs. Himself

BRITT HAYESBadass Digest Contributor

@missbritthayes


http://twitter.com/missbritthayes









TABLE OF CONTENTS




TABLE OF CONTENTS

Edgar Wright’s SCO PILGRIM VS. HE WORLD pits its titular protagonist against manyfoes, chiefly the seven evil exes of (literal andfigurative) dream girl Ramona Flowers (MaryElizabeth Winstead), but no enemy is greater thanthe one lurking within. SCO PILGRIM VS. HE WORLD is one of the greatest modern comic bookfilms, and one of the most underrated. It’s a film thatcreates a hero by asking him not to save the world, or

even to save a girl, but to save himself by defeatingthe ultimate villain: himself.

With every new relationship comes infatuation,that hormonal and uncontrollable concoction ofsimmering feelings and impulses that drive us to beour best and our worst.

When Scott (Michael Cera) meets Ramona, he’salready at a low point: still reeling from an ego-

crushing break-up, the 22 year-old aspiring musicianis dramatically compensating for his low self-esteemand crippling neuroses by dating an Asian highschool girl, using the naive Knives Chau (Ellen Wong) to put a little extra pep in his step -- muchto the chagrin of his bandmate and ex-girlfriendKim Pine (Alison Pill).

Scott takes the cowardly, long and drawn out

approach to breaking up with Knives, still seeing herin secret while Ramona’s seven exes (including onegirlfriend -- she had a phase), intent on controllingthe future of her love life, challenge Scott to aseries of fights -- if he can defeat all seven of them,including the ultimate evil ex, arrogant record execGideon Gordon Graves (Jason Schwartzman), thenScott will prove he deserves to date Ramona free andclear of further reprisal.




TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ramona’s exes are symbolic of the way our pastrelationships continue to haunt us long after we’ve leftthem behind, and the way they imprint themselveson our lives. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing: we can choose to take what we’ve learned from theseexperiences and incorporate them, our past selves, and who we were with these people into who we are now, while accepting that we are an evolution of what once was -- or we can let that past continue to hound us,

trapping us in a state of arrested development. While Ramona has mostly moved on, her exesclearly haven’t, but it’s Scott’s past that’s the realproblem. He’s oblivious to the hurt he’s causedothers, so narrowly and selfishly focused on theinstant gratification he derives from his infatuation --infatuation that drives him to act like a total jackass. Whether it’s treating Knives like an accessory to boosthis confidence, blowing her off and taking the long way around to ending the relationship after he’s metsomeone new (or “new-new”), or going along with whatever Ramona says she likes or dislikes just to get

her to like him more the first time they hang out,Scott is a coward... and he’s always been one, but he’sblind to it. No matter how many times his friendspoint it out to him, he can’t seem to grasp that he’sbeen a participant in his own misery.

We are by nature so self-involved, refractingevery situation through a slight lens colored onlyby ourselves and our own feelings and desires.Undermining Scott at every turn is himself: he doesn’tthink he’s good enough for Ramona because he’sintimidated by how great she is; he’s placed her on apedestal in his mind, as we so often do in the earlyinfatuation stages of a relationship with people wehardly know. But the more we discover their flaws,the more the pedestal crumbles. hat’s not a reflectionof their problems; it’s a reflection of our own. WithScott’s self-esteem making him second-guess everylittle thing he says and does around Ramona, sevenexes aren’t helping matters much. His delicate egois rattled by jealousy, and the prospect that there




might have been so many more people who came andconquered before him, who pleased and mattered andinspired feelings that his broken heart so desperately wants to feel and make someone feel again.Beating Ramona’s exes on the surface is a machoexercise, for the unemployed and underachievingyoung Scott to prove his worth as a man bothphysically and romantically. But Ramona neverasks or demands for him to embark on this journey

-- ultimately, it’s an exercise in futility. No matterhow many exes he pulverizes, Scott is just exploitingand massaging the petty jealousies and neuroses within himself. As long as he remains preoccupied with her past instead of focusing on himself and hisown issues, he’s just another evil ex in the making. And that’s one of the biggest villains we face inrelationships: turning our attention to the past of ourloved ones instead of remaining in the here and nowand staying focused on ourselves and where we comefrom. All that should matter of Ramona’s past is the way it’s shaped who she has become. If we let jealousy

balloon up into a giant monster in our minds, it will

always, always win, defeating not only us, but those

we love in the process.

In the end, Scott realizes -- almost too late -- that he

shouldn’t be fighting for Ramona or the dishonored

Knives (who has learned to take care of herself), but

for himself. Scott earns the power of self-respect and

becomes his own man, recognizing his flaws and

the harm he’s done others, defeating Gideon andearning the respect of his friends and peers in the

process. All of the negative qualities within himself

-- the self-doubt and neuroses and jealousy and

cowardice -- are embodied in one final villain, but

rather than destroy this Nega-Scott, Scott embraces

his flaws. In order to become a hero, to become the

kind of person capable of love and respect, we have

to embrace our past and reconcile the good and

bad within ourselves. Sometimes the person worth

fighting for is us. 6




http://www.beersalt.com/

http://www.beersalt.com/






http://drafthouse.com/packages/slightly-off-cinema-sundays/



EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT

AND AT

oN

FEBRUARY IS down with love month







birth.movies.death. february 2014 issue 8

Documents