Films Not Movies Leaf Me Alone
Hello readers. Enjoy your weekend. I think the final post of the week here on NYU Local should be some fun, mindless video entertainment—the perfect antidote to hellish schoolwork. So before you go, let’s enjoy these two videos, together, about leaves. They are both masterpieces.
Friday, November 20, 2009 17:35 - by Josh Becker
Movies Not Film Twilight: New Moon Makes Us Wish For an Eclipse
Twilight: New Moon Makes Us Wish For an Eclipse
My predictions about the demographic make-up of the Twilight fan base turned out to be eerily accurate. Forever drawn in by the campiness of teenage zeitgeists (Miley Cyrus! Taylor Swift! HSM!), I bought New Moon tickets for midnight on opening night only half out of irony. I was out of the country when the first movie opened and the craze hit: I remember coming back from Paris and asking our old Entertainment Editor, Joe Coscarelli, “So… what the hell is Twilight?” I believe his response was along the lines of, “Dude, where have you BEEN?”
Well, I had been abroad where vampires were only slightly cool, but once back I got down to plugging into the psyche of high school girls, something I am scarily good at (perhaps because I used to be one, or perhaps because I genuinely adore Taylor Swift). The first Twilight’s overwrought love arcs and sweeping side-glances were a welcome departure from the “serious” cinematic endeavors that made up my Netflix queue. Twilight is good in the same way that Gossip Girl is: because its enjoyment hinges wholly on your ability to suspend disbelief and just not think.
But you see, the thing about New Moon is that, despite the hype and the trend pieces and the okay-ness of the first movie, it pretty much… sucked. Spoilers after the jump.
Friday, November 20, 2009 15:02 - by Jessica Roy
Movies Not Films Yo Dawg, We Heard You Like Bad Lieutenant!
Yo Dawg, We Heard You Like Bad Lieutenant!
Those who have seen the original Bad Lieutenant may be understandably skeptical of the idea that anyone could truly remake a cinematic experience which features Harvey Keitel’s penis onscreen for twenty minutes. But I aim to assuage your fears with factoids, anecdotes, and perhaps even datums. It’s easy to imagine how this movie could go wrong. It stars Nicholas Cage, so that is reason alone to go see Bad Lieutenant: Port Call of New Orleans, but that’s not the only dubious casting choice made by this new version. I assume you all know Xzibit from the MTV show Pimp My Ride, right? Well he’s in it. I know, I’m as confused as you are, but in any case it means you’ll have to hear people say things like this at the theaters: Yo Dawg, we heard you like Xzibit, so we put an Xzibit in yo movie so you can watch while you watch!
First of all, this movie isn’t being remade by Roland Emmerich or someone like that. No, this is being done by the man I often refer to as “the most badass filmmaker of our time,” Werner Herzog. When this guy makes documentaries, he goes to Antarctica with just a cameraman or hangs out with freaking bears. It’s safe to say that with a history of casting ensembles for his narratives consisting entirely of dwarfs, or the famous mental institution patient Bruno S. (who supposedly needed several hours of screaming before he could do a scene), working with Nicholas Cage should not have been an issue for Herzog. Well…maybe still a little bit of a challenge, honestly.
Friday, November 20, 2009 12:00 - by Dan Rickmers
MTV Dispatches from the MTVu Woodie Awards
Dispatches from the MTVu Woodie Awards
Oh, MTV. The network that pretends it still likes music. In an attempt to remain “cool”, each year MTVu puts on The Woodie Awards, an awards show that recognizes breaking talent in the world of music. My experience at the Woodies was not a pleasant one overall, but it had its bright moments. I separate the night in my mind into two parts: the performances, and the presentations. The former was so infinitely better than the latter it’s actually comical. Due to a probable press embargo until they air, I can’t really yet say who won what, (and if you really want to know, I’m sure you can search Twitter), but suffice to say I was disappointed by most of the winners.
Let’s start with the positives. The opening performance of last night was Matt and Kim’s “Lessons Learned” with the help of some stripping back up singers (one of whom was my freshman year roommate!). This was a take on their amazing music video for the song. I will never quite understand how they keep those gigantic smiles on their faces for the entirety of every performance I’ve ever seen them do. It’s mind blowing.
Thursday, November 19, 2009 14:12 - by Samantha Moore
Music Track Review: Yeasayer’s “Ambling Alp” and its Remixes
Track Review: Yeasayer’s “Ambling Alp” and its Remixes
The It Came from Brooklyn concert series, also known as the “We’re hip, We’re with it Concert Series,” is the latest attempt from the Guggenheim to reimagine itself as more than just some dead guy’s architectural opus. And for $45 a ticket, what better place for Brooklyn’s Yeasayer to premiere their new single, “Ambling Alp?” (A song Entertainment writer Samantha Moore introduced Local readers to in a Tuesday Track installment).
A little more than a week after announcing their upcoming sophomore album Odd Blood, Yeasayer played the Guggenheim show and released the single “Ambling Alp” for free download on their website. Since then, two remixes have been released, both of which are on the released single available by digital download or on a limited edition 12”.
As for the songs, I heard the Memory Tapes remix first and as such I’ll begin there. In this remix, the better of the two, Memory Tapes takes the original and makes it into an inspirational message you can dance to. Memory Tapes dissects the Yeasayer song into three separate parts all to the refrain of “Stick up for yourself, son, / Never mind what anybody else done.” Each part of the Memory Tapes song takes a distinct sound from the original and highlights it for the dance floor.
Thursday, November 19, 2009 12:33 - by Andy Ollove
Music Music Apps for the Unpretentious
Music Apps for the Unpretentious
‘Tis the season for music snobs to compile annoyingly exhaustive “best of the year” lists, with tons of tracks/bands we’ve never heard of. But this year is different. As the end of the 00’s (has anyone come up with a decent nickname yet for the past ten years?) approaches, we’re seeing not only best of the year lists, but best of the decade. Pitchfork, Paste Magazine, and the Onion’s AV Club have all put ‘em out.
For those feeling a bit inferior and ignorant after this browbeating, we’ve enlisted the help of the internet to put together the top three web apps that expand your musical horizons in a gentle, non-patronizing way. If you decide you want some Jack Black-style (see above) tough love, though, allow me to steer you in Pitchfork’s direction. Continue…
Thursday, November 19, 2009 11:06 - by Jake Moore
twilight In Which We Become Screaming Teenage Fangirls
In Which We Become Screaming Teenage Fangirls
In case you’ve been living under a rock, part two of the Twilight Saga, New Moon, premieres tonight at midnight. I’m doing my duty as a good Entertainment Editor and braving the inevitable line of hysterical fangirls to see the movie at the AMC Loews Village on 3rd ave at 12:15am. I want to witness for myself who exactly in NYC is willing to buy tickets two weeks in advance for a midnight showing of this generation’s Harry Potter. (See what I did there? I pretended I don’t actually like Twilight and that this is all some big editorial sacrifice. Heh.) I can’t be the only NYU student unironically excited for this premiere (or can I…?). Let this serve as a warning, though: anyone who lives at Third North or Alumni should probably avoid walking by the 3rd avenue cinema for fear of having your ear drums exploded by the excited shrieks of 13-year-old girls.
In the spirit of teenage fandom, below is a clip from SNL mocking Twilight, starring Taylor Swift.
Famous NYU Alumni Lady Gaga’s 2005 NYU Talent Show Performance
Lady Gaga’s 2005 NYU Talent Show Performance
Of all of the impressive and talented people to attend our fine university, Lady Gaga is undoubtedly the weirdest… but also the most currently buzzworthy. Popcrunch uncovered this video of Gaga performing at a lowly ol’ NYU talent show back in 2005. I can’t tell where it was filmed from the footage, but let us know if you have an idea.
UPDATE: It seems this performance was from Ultraviolet Live. See their 2005 Facebook group (with a Gaga mention) here. Thanks to commenter Meb Byrne for the heads up.
Thursday, November 19, 2009 9:28 - by Jessica Roy
Facebook Old People Discuss Young People’s Facebook Habits (Again)
Old People Discuss Young People’s Facebook Habits (Again)
Is Facebook about to jump the shark? Is the world’s new favorite past time heading for the shady alleys that make up MySpace and LiveJournal’s 1990s giffable weirdness? It seems like only yesterday I was freaking out with joy when Mark Zuckerberg opened up his world of stalking to high schoolers, and my sister called me from GW to tell me I’m not in college so I shouldn’t be friending her.
Five or so years later we have non-stop news feeds, branded fan pages and an average 16-year-old with over 1,600 tagged pictures. The popular trade pub AdWeek decided to bring the topic up this Monday in an article titled, “ Is Facebook Getting Uncool for 18-24s?”
AdWeek’s Steve McClellan cited a comScore report that said, “as it has gained a broader audience, the older teens and twenty somethings that drove Facebook’s initial popularity are using it less.” The other anti-Book report was from giant WPP’s Mindshare that said, the “group is reevaluating the site’s worth as a tool for developing friendships. Lastly, Huw Griffiths from Interpublic Group’s Universal McCann said, “when you start getting friended by your grandmother, I think that’s when it starts to lose its cool.”
Thursday, November 19, 2009 9:17 - by Natan Edelsburg
Snuggies The Weezer Snuggie!
The Weezer Snuggie!
In the age of torrents and viral marketing, bands have had to think of increasingly clever ways to get people to buy their albums. While it’s certainly no Dick Towel, I’m still giving Weezer some credit for coming up with an objectively badass marketing campaign. It’s called the Weezer Snuggie, and yes, it’s a real product. Now you can listen to Weezer and work on your night cheese at the same time!
If you’re unfamiliar with the Snuggie (or the near identical Slanket), then shame on you. The epitome of laughable products, the Snuggie is a blanket with arms attached (aka a backwards robe) for those too lazy to actually put clothes on. Weezer created a hilarious infomercial for their version of the Snuggie, a product you can order for the low low price of $29.99. And they’ll even throw in their latest album, Raditude, for free! Did you catch the part where they sold you their album? Tricky. Infomercial and more after the jump. Continue…
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 9:45 - by Dan Rickmers
