Funny Business

Posted on by Steven

Since I started commuting to work five months ago, I’ve had a lot of time on the train to read and to listen to things on my iPod. But what began as fumbling around the iTunes store’s podcast section has now turned into a strict diet of comedy that I don’t know if I could do without. The line-up consists primarily of interview-type things, with some movie trivia and improv thrown in. It’s a nice way to spend two hours when you’re crammed next to people in big coats. If you’re interested, and you should be because if you like to laugh, this stuff is for you, here are the shows that occupy my train rides:

WTF with Marc Maron: I’m late to the party with this one, even though Maron used to live a few blocks from me. He’s a terrific interviewer and gets some really great comedy people (David Cross, Michael Ian Black, Steve Almond (Not a comedian, I know, but also a really fantastic conversation), Gary Shandling, Amy Poehler, and the list goes on and on) to come to his garage and chat for an hour. This show posts twice per week on Mondays and Thursdays.

Doug Loves Movies: This podcast is usually recorded live and includes a ton of guests like Sarah Silverman, Jon Hamm, Edgar Wright, and so many more. It’s hosted by comedian Doug Benson and the way it works is the guests participate in a game of movie trivia–the Leonard Maltin game. People determine how many names from the cast list (starting with the lowest billed) they can guess the title in. If you’re a movie buff like I am, you’ll love this show. It posts every Friday with a few mini episodes (which often involve another great movie game called Build-A-Title) in between.

Nerdist: I feel like this is the father of all comedy podcasts. I got into it just recently, but have heard about it for what seems like forever. Another interview show, Nerdist is hosted by Chris Hardwick, Jonah Ray, and Matt Mira, and is, like it’s title suggests, pretty nerdy. If you like comedy but aren’t as into things like comics and Apple products, you might want to check this one out last. I don’t think this show has a specific schedule, but a new episode drops every few days.

How Did This Get Made?: This is another movie podcast with comedians. I love it because I feel like it’s basically what I do with my friends: rip apart terrible movies, but in a relatively kind way. The show is hosted by Paul Sheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas, and each week they watch a bad film and bring in a guest to discuss its shortcomings. Things like Catwoman, Superman III, and Drive Angry. All movies just asking to be made fun of, right? Guests include people like Damon Lindelof, Doug Benson, and Adam Scott. This is another podcast with no strict schedule, but new episodes are available almost every week.

Comedy Bang Bang: Probably my favorite podcast of all the ones I listen to. Comedy Bang Bang (formerly Comedy Death Ray) is a talk-show format (with host Scott Auckerman), but it’s very improvisational, and guests usually play characters–people like the Cake Boss, Ice-T, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Werner Herzog. There are a lot of returning guests on this show,especially the fantastic Paul F. Tompkins and Nick Krall. The reason I even decided to write this post is because I just read that the show was picked up for television by IFC (again–Comedy Death Ray used to air on there). So, if you don’t want to listen to the podcast, you can just watch it there. I recommend doing both. New episodes of Comedy Bang Bang are released on Fridays.

The Pod F. Tompkast: There aren’t many episodes of this podcast, but the ones that are available are great. Paul F. Tompkins is one of my favorite comedians, and his highbrow humor is definitely apparent on this show. It might be tough for some people to sit through, but I think it’s great. Most of the content is Tompkins doing live comedy, but there’s also some studio material, including characters like John C. Reilly and John Lithgow. There isn’t a schedule for this show, so just subscribe and have them delivered whenever they’re available. It’ll be a nice surprise when it shows up!

I know there are a million more comedy podcasts out there, many that I’d love to have the time to listen to. But these are what fills my ears on the train right now. If I get the chance to listen to more, I’ll add them here. And if you, three readers, have any suggestions for me, put them in the comments and I will seek them out.

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My Year That Was

Posted on by Steven

I don’t think I’ve ever written something to sum up a year in my life before, and I feel like I kind of abandoned this blog a few months back. But now that it’s officially 2012, maybe I’ll start out by doing something new, and reviving something old, even though my eyes are the only ones that will most likely witness these events. Whatever, I like to write.

2011 was a pretty eventful year for me. The biggest thing that happened–which is also one of the main reasons I often didn’t have the time or energy to write on this blog–is that I started a new job. In August I took a full-time position designing books at St. Martin’s Press. I’m working exclusively on interiors, but I feel those are the unsung heroes of book design elements. Everyone notices a cover, but unless there’s something really catchy inside, most of that work goes unnoticed. Which is a shame, because there’s some really good, fun stuff going on in there sometimes.

The books I design are of a wide variety. They’re everything from saucy mass-market romance books, to the autobiography of Barack Obama’s half-sister, to (my favorite) trade fiction titles from Picador. I love all the different subjects; It helps me push myself to be versatile as a designer. And after working exclusively from home for nearly five years, it’s pretty nice to get out of the house and be around the living again, especially when it all takes place in the historic Flatiron Building. The commute though? Eh, I could do without that. But the health insurance alone would be worth it.

Last year my freelance business picked up a bit as well. I got a lot of work through small presses that I hadn’t worked with before, which is great. I love working with new clients and new projects. Most of the jobs I got were books, but also a lot of web work for some reason. I guess that’s more in demand than book design. But hey, I’ll take what I can get. If I can keep Steven Seighman Design moving forward in 2012 and keep building a bigger client base, I’ll be very happy.

I also took a lot of photos last year and started an Instagram account (my username is stevenseighman–follow me!) to share them through. That’s been a lot of fun and I’ve seen many, many great photographs from other people as well. This year I hope to have a better cameraphone to do all my shooting with, because mine is an iPhone 3G, and it’s just not cutting it anymore. Fingers crossed to more freelance work!

One of the things I talk about on this blog quite a bit is films. I even had a running total for everything I watched in 2011. That died off when I started the new full-time job, but up to that point I had amassed a pretty great collection of movies that I’d watched. And it did keep going after I stopped cataloging them, I just didn’t have the time to maintain the list anymore. I’m beginning again for 2012 though, and while the list might not be as long this year, it’s still going to be awesome. So far, only one movie: The Future. But that’s a great way to start off the year. I’m hoping for quality over quantity this time around.

Also in 2011 I celebrated my one-year anniversary as a vegan. This is something that I am very, very excited about, as you might know if you’ve read past entries in this blog. It’s a lifestyle that I am incredibly proud of, and hope to celebrate many, many more anniversaries of as the years go on.

There were some great highlights for Monkeybicycle last year, too. Aside from putting out one really terrific print issue (what should’ve been the second is coming out this month), we held what was probably one of my favorite readings that we’ve ever done over the nine years that the journal has been in existence. The Night of 20 Women, happened in NYC in July and featured some really amazing readers–all women–including Dawn Raffel, Deb Olin Unferth, and Shelley Jackson, just to name a few. I think it was one of our most attended events ever. I hope 2012 brings even more great things like that for Monkeybicycle. It’s our ten-year anniversary, so we need to make it BIG.

An only slightly less self-indulgent thing that happened last year, too, is that my girlfriend, Laura Carney, left her job in the trenches at OK! Magazine for the greener pastures of Hearst Tower and Good Housekeeping magazine. This made her very happy and, in turn, also made me very happy.

So there you go. My 2011. I’m guessing no one even made it to this page. But if they did, they surely didn’t make it to the end of this post, which is fine. In 2012 I pledge to write more interesting things that concern only me. Maybe then I’ll have more readers.

Happy 2012 everyone.

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Veganism: One Year In

Posted on by Steven

I might have an addictive personality, and this isn’t necessarily bad. The things I find myself wrapped up in are generally good, or at least not harmful to me or anyone else. For example: several months back I was reminded of the horror director/circus barker/fabulist William Castle. I knew of his movies (The Tingler, 13 Ghosts, House on Haunted Hill, etc.), but didn’t know much about the man. So I read a little bit and my interest was piqued.

This is where the addictive personality comes in. I watched a documentary about Castle and all of his movies from the 60s and 70s–about ten–in one week. I needed to know as much as I could about this man. (Turns out his ideas about marketing his movies, as absurd as they are, were wonderful. Hitchcock even swiped a few of his concepts for Psycho.)

I run into topics that consume me all the time. And they’re not always light things like moviemakers. Sometimes they’re far more serious, like the plight of Haiti (both before and after the earthquake of last year) or factory farming in America.

This last one is huge to me, and I think it’s because it’s something that is physically affecting me (and you, most likely). About 11 months ago I picked up The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Polan. It was an enlightning read and really educated me about just how food gets to our tables in America. Then, the addictive personality kicked in and I had to learn more. I watched a few movies, read another book or two, and then got to what I’d call a turning point in my life. I picked up Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.

When I read this book it changed my life for good. I’d had something deep inside of me trying to get out, and Eating Animals helped it to find its way into my consciousness. I knew that I needed to do something, but it wasn’t until I read Foer’s book that I could understand what I was feeling inside.

So, one year ago this month, I went vegan.

Unlike all the other things I got hooked on, this one had drastic repercussions. It changed my life for good. I documented the beginning in this blog post, and I don’t think I wrote much else about it since. But now I can say that it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. Over the last twelve months I’ve lost aboutt 20 pounds, I have more energy, I don’t need my asthma inhaler quite as much (this is huge because I’m without health insurance and those things are expensive), and I feel like my conscience is clear; I know what happens to animals that are bred for food in this country and I’m proud of myself for not taking part in that process. I’ve also learned how to cook a ton of new dishes, which has been incredibly fun, since I cook dinner for my girlfriend and me every night. It’s been one of the best years of my life, and I look forward to a lot more like it in the future.

I’ve learned a lot of things because of my addictive personality, and I’m incredibly thankful that I had it one year ago. Maybe some more life-changing things are in store for me because of it, but for now I couldn’t be happier with the one I already have.

 
 

If you’d like to take a shot at being vegan (or even just vegetarian) download PETA’s starter kit here. I encourage you to try it, even if just for a week.

 
 

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Movie Review: Midnight in Paris

Posted on by Steven

Last week I reported that Transformers: Dark of the Moon was one of the laziest, most unentertaining films I’ve seen in a long time. After subjecting myself to that, I needed a palate cleanser, and I got it big time.

There are many Woody Allen movies that I don’t like–Match Point, Bananas, and Anything Else, to name a few. But there are also Woody Allen movies that I absolutely love: Manhattan, Annie Hall, Vicki Christina Barcelona, and now Midnight in Paris. This is probably the best film Woody has put out since the ’90s.

Midnight in Paris is the story of Gil (Owen Wilson), a burnt out Hollywood screenwriter on holiday in Paris with his incredibly closed-minded fiancé Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her parents. Like so many before him, Gil is in love with the city and longs to live there, drenched in the inspiration and creating art. In his case, that is a novel about a man who works in a nostalgia shop–perfect for what goes on throughout this film. Inez thinks he’s a dreamer and is happy with a house in Malibu.

When Inez runs into an old acquaintance–brilliantly played as a pompus blowhard by Michael Sheen–she leaves Gil to wander the city alone at night. His meandering eventually him to an ultimate inspiration and to places he could’ve never imagined going.

I find a real underlying sense of sweet sincerity to the protagonists in most of Woody Allen’s movies (except for the “serious” films like Match Point) and Owen Wilson carries on that tradition; this role is perfect for what he does. And in addition to Sheen, most of the supporting cast (which I can’t really list because their characters would give away the big plot twist) is equally great–especially Kathy Bates, of course.

Midnight in Paris is evidence that Woody Allen got his groove back. It’s a beautiful film from start to finish, both in its visuals and its story. Go see it while it’s still in theaters.

Midnight in Paris trailer:

 

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Movie Review: Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Posted on by Steven

Even before I bought a ticket to see Transformers: Dark of the Moon, I questioned why I was going. The first Transformers film was novel–it at least took me back to my childhood. The second one was awful, though I do like seeing movies shot in Philadelphia. So, why would I imagine this third installment would be any better? Maybe it’s that I just have a strong desire to see everything I can. I remember once hearing Henry Rollins say that he was angry that there were books out there that he hasn’t yet read, and places he hasn’t yet seen. I think I feel that way about movies. Ergo, I was compelled to see this new one. Plus, I have a ton of free movie passes that I always use, so I didn’t actually have to spend any money on it.

I bet if I look back at most of the reviews I’ve done on this blog, they probably all start with something like “I wasn’t expecting much,” or, “Even before I bought a ticket to this movie, I questioned why I was going.” This is most likely because for every movie I watch in the theater, there are ten that I see digitally or on DVD. Those are the ones that are really interesting to me. But maybe I’m just a sucker for the theater experience like the rest of America; I want to see something big and ugly while I munch popcorn, and not think too hard about it.

No, that can’t be true. Because even though I went to see Transformers: Dark of the Moon of my own volition, I knew going in that I would be looking at it with more of a critical eye than most moviegoers. And that’s how I could see through its mesmerizing special effects and nonsensical plot to what it really is: a big pile of space junk.

At the start of this film, The Autobots are now carrying out Black-Ops missions for the U.S. Government. Why they’re limited to the U.S. and not international, I don’t know. It seems like if you’re an alien race you’re not going to lay down national divisions like we here on earth do. So they’re off doing this, and Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) is now living in Washington DC, but is unable to find a job, even though he’s saved the planet twice. Apparently the government in this film is also not keen on keeping unemployment numbers down. With Megan Fox gone, there’s a new love interest, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), who is Sam’s sugar mama until he can find work. The first time we see her, it occurs to me that Michael Bay kind of pervy. We pick up on the backs of her bare knees (she’s clad in only a men’s button-down shirt and underwear) as a handheld camera follows her up a set of stairs. The camera peeks up under her shirt as her body shifts on each step, showing the shape of her bum. My first thought–right after OKKKKKK–was, “Hey, there are ten-year-olds in this theater!” Carly is provocatively dressed throughout the movie, but I supposed that’s why Bay hired a model and not an actress for the role.

What happens from there is we learn the U.S.’s first mission to the moon was less about space exploration and more about investigating an alien ship that crashed there. Luckily, Buzz Aldrin wasn’t given a ring and an oath to speak to a lantern. Instead, the ship contained a series of pilars that, when assembled, allowed time travel. It was supposed to save the Autobots and Cybertron, but it crashedand the rest is Transformers history. The next two hours of this film (dear god, it’s 157 minutes long!) consists of the bad guys trying to get the full set of pilars from the good guys so that they could use the time travel device for evil instead of good, and the good guys trying to stop them. Along the way there are humans: a hard-as-nails DoD official called Mearing (Frances McDormand–yes, just like in Thor, there is an Oscar winner in this terrible film), who refuses to listen to anyone who has anything to say about what’s going on . . . until it’s too late!, Simmons (John Turturro), the former Section 7 agent who has gone from hiding his classified escapades to cashing in on them, Jerry Wang (Ken Jeong), a conspiracy theorist and all-around oddball, Dylan (Patrick Dempsey), Carly’s McDreamy boss who alway steps on Sam’s toes, Bruce Brazos (a very misused John Malkovich), Sam’s quirky would-be employer and martial arts enthusiast, and Lennox and Epps (Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson), who reprise their roles of military blockheads who are actually smart from the first two films.

All these humans play a collective role in the film: to keep it from just being fancy, uninteresting robots. I guess this is to anchor it as something mass moviegoers can relate to. It doesn’t. The humans are just as uninteresting as the robots. But with all the special effects, I guess little things like story and acting don’t matter. People will see it. People are seeing it.

And speaking of special effects, I think they’re overused to the point of making a big muddled mess of everything. These robots have so many intricate parts to them, and whenever you really get to see them up close, they’re always in battle, being hurled around the screen in shots that are way too closely blocked (something I think most fight scenes have a problem with), so you can’t really appreciate all the work of the artists who brought them to life. The sound is the same way; these movies have an incredible audio quality to them, but there’s just so damn much of it all the time that it really overstates what was supposed to be something that we’d appreciate. If you really want to hear what a movie should sound like, check out Saving Private Ryan.

Here’s one more thing that is pretty bad: Some of the shots used in this movie apparently weren’t even filmed for this movie. Check out the screen caps below. The images on the bottom of the sets are from Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The ones on top are from another Michael Bay-directed movie called The Island.

I’m not exactly sure what it is that made me dislike this movie so much. I can usually find at least something that I enjoy in every film I see. If I had to pick one thing in this one, it was probably Ken Jeong, and that’s only because he sucked the least. I guess I just feel like it was subpar because it didn’t have to be anything more than that. Bay knew that no matter what he did, this movie was going to make a ton of cash. And he was right. If–god forbid–there’s a fourth one, I don’t know if he’ll be so lucky though. These films have been in a decline since the second half of the first one, and there hasn’t been an uptick since. Maybe by this time two years from now, moviegoers will wise up.

I would tell you not to waste your money on this film, but seeing is how it grossed something like $300 million worldwide over the weekend, you probably already did.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon trailer:

 

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Pinterest

Posted on by Steven

You’ve probably seen or heard about this site. It’s nothing more than a virtual bulletin board that you can share with people. I can’t quite explain why this concept is so appealing, but it is. You find things online that you like, “pin” them to your page, and then people can comment/share/like what you’ve added.

I’ve spent way too many evenings wasting time on the internet so that I can beef up my pinboards. Mine is pretty much just a list of things I like or want. That, and a pinboard of screencaps from Beverly Hills 90210, which my girlfriend curates (we’ve been slowly making our way through all ten seasons of that show. God knows why) and seems to be more popular than everything else the two of us have posted collectively.

The site is fun, obviously, and I think it will continue to catch on. You can join the fun by getting an invite here. And, if you’re into 90210 or art and expensive gadgets, follow me here.

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Movie Review: Green Lantern

Posted on by Steven

When I was a kid and spending my allowance on comic books every week, I was always very eager to get my hands on the latest copy of Green Lantern. Looking back, I’m not sure what it was about him that was so intriguing to me. Maybe it’s because he was green? There weren’t a lot of green-wearing superheroes back then.

So when I heard they were going to make a Green Lantern movie, I was very excited (Of course, it was inevitable, so it was really just a waiting game). I feel like superhero movies are finally getting to a point where they have a good story and don’t put all the responsibility on the special effects. Sam Rami’s Spider-man series did this for the most part, and Iron Man and Chris Nolan’s Batman movies definitely did. Maybe it’s the calibre of actor, too. But if that were the case, Thor could’ve been saved by its two Oscar winners. When I heard that Ryan Reynolds was going to be Hal Jordan, I knew that all bets were off. I knew I was in for superficial, sarcastic quips and very little range, and I figured my favorite hero from childhood was going to get a terrible, terrible film adaptation. I wasn’t completely wrong.

The premise behind Green Lantern is that an expansive evil called Parallax–which feeds on fear–was freed from captivity and making its way across the universe to destroy its enemies: The Green Lantern Corp, a team of aliens that spans galaxies and polices them. When one of them is injured by Parallax, he must find a successor and the ring (which chooses who will wear it) leads him to earth, to Hal Jordan.

Jordan is a fighter test pilot who takes the risks that no one else does. He’s fearless, which is a requirement to wear the ring. In one scene–a scene lifted almost directly from Iron Man–he leads a pair of drone fighters almost out of the atmosphere where they can’t function, and neither can he. Brave! This is the type of thing we’re led to believe Jordan is known for.

And the Goose to Jordan’s Maverick is Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), who plays by the book and is always very opposed to his antics. We learn that the two of them grew up together, and the sexual tension between them is quite obvious. After Jordan’s drone stunt, she somehow ends up at a desk job and aside from being the love interest, doesn’t really play a huge part in the rest of the story.

After the ring picks Jordan (and after its dying owner stays alive long enough to pass it along with a few vague instructions), he is summoned to the Lanterns’ meeting place and trained to do his duty. There is a lot of information in this section, so pay attention.

Meanwhile, back on earth, the dead alien ring bearer is autopsied by the film’s one good character, Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), who is the opposite of Hal Jordan in every way. He’s nerdy, quiet, unconfident. That is, of course, until he gets the remnants of Parallax in the alien’s body on him. Then he becomes a fine enemy, due primarily to Sarsgaard’s incredible talent. Battles ensue, and you can probably guess the ending. But it’s a somewhat fun ride at least.

Unlike the other superhero movies I mentioned earlier, Green Lantern relies heavily on special effects. The ring can bring to like anything its wearer can imagine, and when Hal Jordan is wearing it, he seems to be only imagining things from The Mask. To me, this kind of ruins the movie, or at least makes it more for kids than 30-somethings who probably read the comics. It’s shot in 3D, too, which is never necessary. In this case, since it was there though, it probably could’ve been utilized a little more. The rest of the film was way over the top and relatively superficial, so I’d expect its main gimmick to be, too.

If you’re a big Ryan Reynolds fan, or just love the comic book genre, you’ll probably want to see Green Lantern. Otherwise, wait for it on DVD or just hold your horses until the new Batman or Iron Man films come out.

The Green Lantern trailer:

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Spoiling the Story

Posted on by Steven

There’s a great article on one of my new favorite sites, Grantland, today. It’s called “Are Spoilers Flipping the Script?” and it’s by pop culture analyst, Chuck Klosterman.

In the article, Klosterman ponders whether or not today’s wildfire social media causes screenwriters to approach their work differently from the very beginning of a project:

Are screenwriters now affected by “spoiler culture” before they even begin the writing process? If you know a twist will be unavoidably revealed before the majority of people see the work itself, and if you concede that selling and marketing a film with a major secret will be more complicated for everyone involved … would you even try? Would you essentially stop yourself from trying to write a movie that’s structured like The Sixth Sense?

It’s a really interesting question, and I think time will tell whether or not the endless media points will change anything. But I do know that you can probably go online and learn almost anything about a film if you want to. I make it a point to avoid press about films if I even hear a murmur about a “twist” ending. The film Catfish, for example. Once there was a little buzz about the third act of that film, I went out of my way to avoid anything at all about it until I finally had a chance to see it for myself. Of course, I found that film to be relatively predictable for the most part, so I wasn’t thanking my lucky stars I didn’t spoil it for myself. But still, if I had heard what happens before I saw it, I’m sure it would’ve been a different experience for me.

It’s pretty interesting how all of this social media and connectivity are changing a lot of things, not just movies. But maybe it’s going to spawn some entire new way of approaching things like films and will actually be helpful instead of giving up too much information. I guess time will tell.

You can read Chuck Klosterman’s article here. And do yourself a favor, visit Grantland regularly.

 

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