Quick Hits

Truth be told, I am entirely too exhausted to think my way through an entire review, so I thought I'd offer a few suggestions for movies you may have passed over on your way to something more popular.

First up is the Rocker, a comedy starring Rainn Wilson (from the American version of the Office). Predictable and safe though it may be, the music is fantastic and the movie rocks because of Wilson's exuberance and the awkward brilliance of Emma Stone. I find these types of films work best when you give a shit about the main characters, and I saw a lot of relatability with Wilson's "Fish". He's a man who almost had it all, and over 20 years later, is given a chance to experience what had passed him by. VERY loosley based on the story of Pete Best (ex drummer of the Beatles, who also has a cameo), if you don't want to take my word for it, at the very least do yourself a favor and give the soundtrack a listen.

To take things in the completely opposite direction, I present to you "Downfall" starring Bruno Ganz. I know, this is a tough sell, afterall, not a lot of people are going to be thrilled by the idea of watching a subtitled German film about Hitler's last days in the bunker beneath Berlin in 1944. Give it a chance. Honestly, this is the most haunting performance I have ever seen. Ganz' attention to detail here is so complete, so thorough, it is eery. The movie itself is lifted pretty much note for note from books written by Hitler's last private secretary Traudl Jung and a deliciously hostile historian Joachim Fest, whom if memory serves me correct (and it often doesn't) thinks most other historians are idiots. My recommendation is tainted by the fact that I am ridiculously interested in this period of human history, but holy shit this movie is so potent. It is not a holocaust movie, it is a movie about the man for whom such atrocities were done. Phenominal.

Jimmy Page. Jack White. The Edge. Three generations of awesome gathered to swap stories and riffs, a summit so impossibly cool and incredible I took a home pregnancy test just to be safe. Admit it - guitar equals sexy. It just does. Don't try and deny it. Think back to your youth - how many times did you get laid because someone broke out a guitar at a party? These guys have probably seen more vagina by noon than the average gynecologist sees in a month. Seriously though. When they get together to discuss the guitar and how some of their greatest creations came to light, they are like kids on Christmas morning. One scene in particular stands out - when the Edge asks Jimmy Page how he came up with the riff for Kashmir. Page proceeds to hold a masters class and you can see the joy transforming White and Edge into giddy teenagers. They stare at his hands with wide eyed amazement - they know every note, but watching them coaxed to life becomes something magical. Fabulous. Brilliant.