NFL Draft ‘Godfrey’ Spot

This weekend a spot we shot and edited for The Century Council will play during the NFL Draft.

Here it is, so you know what to look for (uncensored):

 

The David Mayfield Parade – Human Cannonball

PASTE Magazine is premiering the music video we made for the David Mayfield Parade called Human Cannonball. It took 23 people, 3 days, and a whole lot of coffee to make this come to life. We really hope you enjoy this video as much as we enjoyed making it.

Watch it : HERE

Or here:

The David Mayfield Parade

Listing Day

I was introduced to Listing Day* by a tweet from Joe Hill. I really like the idea of listing some of the most important art that you discovered this year** in one place, so here it is.

(*New Year’s Day is Listing Day, this is late, but whatever.)

(**The only rule that I’m abiding by this year is that it doesn’t matter what year the art was created. It only matters that I found it last year.)

Books

Anno Dracula by Kim Newman – Dracula! Jack the Ripper! Mycroft Holmes! A revisionist history of the story of Dracula at turn-of-the-Century England is a endless joy. The deeper the book gets into its characters and the people they know, the more fun can be had knowing something (anything really) about history. Did I mention Vampires?

The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundura - Vignette stories are not usually my thing, but extraordinary, heartbreaking explorations of the loss of ones country… well, my heart beats. The life on display on the pages of this novel is incredible.

Embassytown by China Miéville – Miéville is my favorite author right now. His books are dense. His ideas are fun riddles meant for an evenings debate. Embassytown is a book about language, how it’s formed, what we use it for, how it invigorates people or drives them to madness. Frankly, as we debate the language of the 2nd Amendment I find this book more and more fascinating. NOTE: This is SciFi at its densest. If you don’t like SciFi, this is not only not for you but your loss.

Letters to a Young Contrarian by Christopher Hitchens – First Hitchens. I remember him from his guest spots on FOX News at the beginning of the Second Iraq War. This is not the place to launch into a discussion of his points in this book, but they are well reasoned and vital to a growing democracy.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte – I mean, I’m 34, and I just read this. What have I been doing with all these years? And it’s not the book isn’t what you think it is either. Really? (And really! – could I be more vague?) But the pleasure in reading this ‘CLASSIC’ was that I didn’t know where it was going, and my expectations were overwhelmed.

Movies

Design for Living (dir. Ernst Lubitsch) – So this was the 1930s? Really? When did we get so conservative? To suggest that Ernst Lubitsch’s film was ahead of it’s time suggests that we’ve reached a time when the film would find contemporaries. That’s just not the case. 2 men, 1 woman, All in love. And that’s how these 3 should be.

The Deep Blue Sea (dir. Terence Davies) – You’d be hard pressed to match Rachel Weisz’s performance in this film. Heartbreaking and strong, Weisz’s character signifies a frustrating reminder of how a woman’s attempt at personal freedom can doom her in post-World War II England. Terence Davies luscious, harsh adaptation of Terence Rattigan’s play is a sobering reminder of the oppression woman have and continue to face .

House of Tolerance (dir. Bertrand Bonello) – It’s virtually impossible to be even keel about prostitution, but impressively this beautiful and horrific film is just that. It presents an institution that both promotes a service that undermines its providers while arguing for the importance of these establishments. Why shouldn’t we feel conflicted about them? Why does there have to be an easy answer?

Trailer NSFW:

Procès de Jeanne d’Arc (dir. Robert Bresson)- Bresson’s version of the story of Joan of Arc is as simple as you can get. 1) Get trial transcripts. 2) Perform those transcripts. 3) End film. And it’s stunning. Like Carl Th. Dreyer’s story, there is nothing explored outside of the trial, and that is enough to weight to this iconic figure. Proceed with caution while watching the film though, Bresson is as hard as he is rewarding.

Vanya on 42nd St. (dir. Louis Malle) – A hard truth to explain to an audience who has paid good money to see a show is – Sometimes rehearsals are better. And while this statement is a little disingenuous in regards to Louis Malle’s presentation of Andre Gregory’s Uncle Vanya, the impetus is right. A cinematic rehearsal, where the actors seem to wear their own clothes and put on Vanya for a small group of people in a rundown theatre, makes for a ballsy and rewarding film.

 

Music

The David Mayfield Parade – The David Mayfield Parade

Mississippi John Hurt – The 1928 Sessions

Niki and The Dove – Instinct

Polica – Give You The Ghost

R.L. Burnside - I Wish I was in Heaven Sitting Down

TV

Friday Night Lights (season 1) – Why did it take me so long to watch you? Coach and Mrs. Coach are everything that I’ve ever heard they were. Unbelievable show.

Happy Endings (Season 3) – Too fun of show not to be mentioned.

Justified (Season 3) – Hardboiled and fun. Smart as well. And after an incredible Second Season, a very solid follow-up. One thing that I realize about all the shows that are on this list is – I could be convinced that I should watch episodes about just the side characters with no reference to the leads. The Winn Duffy, Devil & Arlo Givens Christmas Special anyone?

Parks and Recreation (Season 3) - Three Characters.

Jean-Ralphio:

Perd Hapley:

Ben Wyatt:

The Vampire Diaries (Season 3) – I recommend this show to everyone I meet. It’s the most interesting show I’ve seen – specifically in regards to its dispensing of plot. As in, the show doesn’t care how much plot it goes through, there’ll always be more. Always more. (Though, like any melodrama, clips that make sense are hard to come by.)

 

(Poster is Design for Living)

 

THIS YEAR: WINNERS

This year saw us win our first award for one of our films. I thank everyone involved in the process of making this possible.

Onward.