3rd\SE Quadrant 10/29 '07

The Approval Matrix: Week of October 29, 2007

"We Own the Night"

Tagline: Two brothers on opposite sides of the law. Beyond their differences lies loyalty.

Plot Outline: A New York nightclub manager tries to save his brother and father from Russian mafia hit men. (IMDb)

Claudia Puig of USA TODAY said, "The theme of this absorbing crime drama centers on a simple idea: Blood is thicker than powder,"but Fred Topel of Can Magazine said, "Between the clubbers and the dealers, they only seem to be renting the night at best."

"We Own the Night" Trailer

"Dementia 13" Online

"Dementia 13" is a 1963 horror thriller. The film was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Although Coppola had been involved in at least two nudie films previously, Dementia 13 served as his first mainstream, "legitimate" directorial effort.

The plot follows a scheming young woman who, after having inadvertently caused the heart attack death of her husband, attempts to have herself written into her rich mother-in-law's will. She pays a surprise visit to her late husband's family castle in Ireland, but her plans become permanently interrupted by an axe-wielding lunatic who begins to stalk and murderously hack away at members of the family. (Wikipedia)

The film is being shown in its entirely on AMC's website as part of Monsterfest.

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"
Dialogue

Chris at Draven99 Musings said in his review of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" Seasons 1 & 2 DVD, "I have seen the show described as "Seinfeld on crack." That is a pretty accurate description, if you cross it with the setting of Cheers, the single camera look of "Arrested Development," and some decidedly non-PC dialogue."

Darren Sirkin of TV Guide wrote, "The dialogue flows like good improvisation and the plotting is always clever and more complicated than you'd expect...," and A.J. Carson of TV DVD Reviews related, "They coast on attitude with clever dialogue and funny anti-social ideas taking the place of well-plotted scripts. Yes, the show is funny, but it doesn’t quite measure up to classic sitcoms. Still, the series is fun and unusual enough to warrant watching."

Dialogue examples:

• "This is good; this is shady good, Frank."
• "I'm good — go get us some slaves"
• "I gotta get to Broadway, and welfare's the key"
• "Quit being such a nancy boy."

"ROC BOYS (And the Winner Is)"
"AMERICAN GANGSTER" Soundtrack

“Werewolf Bar Mitzvah”

According to every pop-culture website in Internetland last night’s [October 11, 2007] 30 Rock was the funniest episode of the fall TV season so far. More specifically, “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” was one of the funniest segments in recent TV history. “Boys becoming men / men becoming wolves!” (Co-Ed Magazine\Steve of Seton Hall University)

The YouTube video has been removed by NBC, but the full episode (202) can be viewed here.

CMJ

CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival took over New York City from October 16-20, 2007 with over 1,000 dynamic new artists, dozens of groundbreaking films and thousands of non-stop revelers! (CMJ)

College Music Journal, commonly known as CMJ, is a music events/publishing company most famous for its annual festival in New York City, the CMJ Music Marathon, as well as a weekly magazine of and for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States and Canada. CMJ also publishes CMJ New Music Monthly, a magazine with interviews, reviews, and special features. Each magazine comes with a CD of 15-24 songs by well-established bands, unsigned bands and everything in between. The staff puts together CMJ Music Marathon, a large convention and music festival, each autumn, in New York's Manhattan. (Wikipedia)