Monday, August 09, 2004
The epitome of twentysomething angst
What a fantastic weekend! Friday was great. Saw Garden State as planned. What a gem of a movie! It's definitely this year's Rushmore. Zach Braff has even similar characteristics and mannerisms of Jason Schwarzmann's. The writing is exceptionally strong and its humor biting. At my showing, I realized there was more laughter and giggling coming from females than from males. Individual scenes are memorable, including the clever progression from "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" to "Three Times a Lady," the Vietnamese restaurant scene, etc. The ending could've been a little tighter (and I found it to be an easy way out).
However, as a first time writer and director, you've gotta give credit for Zach Braff for putting this on the big screen. Braff reminds me of my friend Ed Mattiuzzi who could have easily made this movie because of their similar experiences (down and out in Hollywood, coming back to their hometown, finding the girl they love, etc.). Kudos to Pam Bricker, for her song "Lebanese Blonde" (lead vocals of Thievery Corporation) was featured in the film. In fact, this song has been a cult lounge hit all across the globe in the past 3 years or so, notably in Europe and Japan. Pam, you should be proud.
Then on Saturday, me and my brother bravely entered the ghetto neighborhood of Baltimore and found this soulful venue called Club Paradise. It is the Baltimore version of Ledbetter and has even more soulful and friendly folks. What started out to be a night to chill out with the blues became a jam session among Big Jesse Yawn, Sonny Boy, and the much skinnier Kelly Bell after his bypass operation. I originally just wanted to pay my dues to one of the area's best blues singers, and it turned out to be one of the most incredible blues performances I've had.
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However, as a first time writer and director, you've gotta give credit for Zach Braff for putting this on the big screen. Braff reminds me of my friend Ed Mattiuzzi who could have easily made this movie because of their similar experiences (down and out in Hollywood, coming back to their hometown, finding the girl they love, etc.). Kudos to Pam Bricker, for her song "Lebanese Blonde" (lead vocals of Thievery Corporation) was featured in the film. In fact, this song has been a cult lounge hit all across the globe in the past 3 years or so, notably in Europe and Japan. Pam, you should be proud.
Then on Saturday, me and my brother bravely entered the ghetto neighborhood of Baltimore and found this soulful venue called Club Paradise. It is the Baltimore version of Ledbetter and has even more soulful and friendly folks. What started out to be a night to chill out with the blues became a jam session among Big Jesse Yawn, Sonny Boy, and the much skinnier Kelly Bell after his bypass operation. I originally just wanted to pay my dues to one of the area's best blues singers, and it turned out to be one of the most incredible blues performances I've had.
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