About: Jeff Barrick
Well, I'm from Downey Ca, and I went to Warren High School. I just recently graduated from film school, and am working in the industry as a writer / director. I love music and films, I watch a lot of TV because I think it's important to know what's on (if you wanna work in this town you'll do it).
I'd have to say my favorite artist is David Bowie, My favorite film is Lawrence of Arabia, and my favorite book is Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain.
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Hello again music lovers, for my ninth installment of Another Look I’m going to take a stab at one of my favorite all-time live albums from the 70’s. It came to my attention the other day that I had not yet covered a David Bowie album and because he is in fact my most beloved recording artist, I became a bit dismayed, there are so many albums that I love, it was difficult to make a decision. Finally I decided on an album that has over the years taken some pretty tough criticism from rock critics and Bowie fans alike. The 1974 live album David Live at the Tower in Philadelphia is in my opinion one of his strongest albums ever, I enjoy this album as much as any other of Bowie’s more traditionally popular records.
I’d like to start by addressing some of the criticisms and debates that have swarmed around this album. Probably the comment I hear the most is that Bowie changed up the songs too radically, and by doing so some how diminished their quality. The UK critics show Critical Review did a special program covering the “Plastic Soul†era of Bowie’s musical timeline, in which they lambasted the album with harsh words about drug-addiction and the death of Ziggy Stardust. They claimed that David Live was a sad and lackluster album with very few redeemable qualities.
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Tags: Editorials · bands
Hello all my theatre buffs and Broadway musical appreciators this article is unfortunately not for you. Everyone has gone over and back again about the theatre and dance legacy of Mr. Bob Fosse, which is why I’m going to focus only on the films that he directed for the silver screen, and I’ll leave the great white-way for some other time. From 1969 to 1983 Fosse only directed 6 films, technically Liza was for TV, but to me it was a film. The quality and caliber of movies he was able to produce was although limited in number, they were vast in their power and complexity and have left an enormous mark on American cinema and breathed new creative breath into the medium.
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Tags: Editorials · Film
Well folks it’s official I’ve had another great film idea stolen right out from underneath me. It started with Spielberg stealing my concept for a film about the Munich Olympics in 72 and then he stole my idea for a Lincoln biopic. Now, Ms. Mira Nair has broken my creative heart by making the long overdue modern telling of the life of Amelia Earhart. And as if it isn’t bad enough the multi-Oscar winning actress Hilary Swank has signed on the portray the late Ladie-Lindi.
If I had my druthers it would be the lovely Cate Blanchett that’d be playing Amelia, just because I’ve always imagined her doing the role. That is if I was directing, that’s not to say that Swank won’t do a terrific job because she is amazing. If there was ever a number 2 choice for the role in my mind Swank would be it, but Blanchett is a natural blond, which is close to red, and I feel would be a better fit.
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Tags: Editorials · Film
This past weekend I watched Mash for the fifth time in my life and it reminded me that Robert Altman is dead. I guess I just got so used to him pumping out another movie, like so many movies Altman has been able to create in his lifetime. With 2006’s Prairie Home Companion, Altman has directed 43 films and a whole mess of TV, that is a formidable numbers of movies to helm in one life. Over the past 50 years Robert Altman has transformed the Director/Actor relationship and brought new and exciting filmmaking techniques to ensemble cast productions.
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Tags: Editorials · Film
Week after week HBO Boxing has been putting together some of the great fights of the past several years. It has been all the more fantastic because the majority of these boxing events are free (if you have cable). Of course HBO cost a little extra each month but I’m talking about Pay Per View. Special boxing events are generally pretty pricy and if they’re on every weekend the total will begin to mount faster than you can imagine.
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Tags: Sport Report · Upcoming events
For those of you who don’t know about or follow the history of the Coachella Music & Arts Festival then you probably haven’t heard the news that Prince has recently added to this years 3 day event. In honor of this momentous happening and because I never really thought I’d be able to see Prince in concert, I’m going to cover one of his most brilliant and successful albums. 1984’s Purple Rain is widely considered to be one of the greatest albums of all-time. Ranked within the top 20-40 on every major list from Rolling Stone to Vanity Fair, Purple Rain stands alone in the pop stratosphere and has demanded worship and admiration from music fans the world over.
When you think of all the albums to come from the 1980’s there are very few that stand-up today as major turning points in the history of popular music. Michael Jackson’s Thriller or U2’s Joshua Tree are some just to name a few, but Purple Rain must be on that short list as well. From the opening number straight on through until the end it is a non-stop pop sensation that culminates with one of the greatest rock ballads that has ever been produced. Once you get a taste of the power and danceability of these jams I defy anyone to challenge the genius of Prince Rodgers Nelson.
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Tags: Reviews · bands
With all the election coverage and presidential insanity sweeping the nation I feel it’s important to take a look at one of our more colorful political satirists and comedians. LA’s own godless liberal maven Bill Maher has one of the most successful and well-received political programs on television. HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher has no problem telling it like it is and certainly is not struggling to find an audience for their irreverent style of humor and in fact seems to have nudged out most of the other shows that had at one time been able to claim master of the political comedy universe.
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Tags: Reviews · TV
If you’re struggling to try and remember who Tony Kaye is, then let me assist you a bit. Kaye is the ubber talented director of the cult classic American History X staring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong. You know the one about neo-Nazis and white supremacy, if you haven’t seen it then not only are you crazy out of the loop but also unhip. This week I had the privilege of watching his latest film the documentary Lake of Fire. It was in the running this year for best Doc at the Oscars before the official list was decided on, but unfortunately it didn’t make it into the final list of possible choices.
What is Lake of Fire about? ABORTION! I know this is a very HOT subject and one that nobody takes lightly. LOF is probably the only Doc of its kind and certainly the only one I’ve ever seen that so directly impacted me. This shit is not for the faint of heart. If you would consider your personal knowledge about the subject to be limited then perhaps the film may be educational. If you feel your knowledge is deep and plentiful then I challenge you to watch so as to embrace the horrific side of the argument, and whether you’re pro-choice or pro-life you may come out feeling equally correct and morally right about the position you take.
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Tags: Film · Reviews
A couple of months back is when I first heard some rumors and rumblings about a possible new movie project about our current president George W. Bush. The news became very interesting because attached, as director/producer was none other than legendary filmmaker Oliver Stone. Well, not only is this film really happening but a nearly entire cast has already been put together and a release date has been set for some time in 2009.
Just after his stirring performance in the Coen Brothers No Country for Old Men, Josh Brolin has signed on to play GW, with the lovely and extremely talented Elizabeth Banks slated to portray Mrs. Laura Bush. The legendary screen thespian and Actor Studio director Ellen Burstyn is apparently going to be playing Barbara Bush and James Cromwell is set to take on the role of Bush senior. Also, as if that isn’t enough, one of my personal favorite actors Mr. Paul Giamatti is in talks to play the infamous Karl Rove. As far as casting information that is everything that’s been released so far, but given Stone’s propensity for using lots and lots of big-name actors in his films we will probably be seeing some strong additions to this line-up as they move closer to production.
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Tags: Editorials · Film
In April of 1973 The Wailers headed back into the recording studio to pump out another outstanding roots, reggae album. The band was comprised of lead man and shaman Bob Marley followed closely behind by his musical cronies Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston. Ranked number 313 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 greatest albums of all-time it should come as no surprise that many of the songs from this record still stand-up today as politically and socially important songs of revolution and change.
In 2004 the good folks over at BMG Music Company put together a deluxe edition of this timeless album, it’s this CD that I’ll be covering within this article. The first disc showcases the entire original album as well as a bunch of unreleased tracks that had been left off the 1973 LP. The second disc has a never before released full concert from 1973 in which the Wailers performed at Leeds in the UK and blew the damn doors off the building.
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Tags: Reviews · bands
For those of you out there who don’t regularly like to watch PBS or KCET, they’re your friendly neighborhood public television stations out here in the city of angels. This past Tuesday and Wednesday night the documentary news show Frontline showcased their brand new segment entitled Bush’s War. This wonderfully insightful and also enraging program is the only film yet to truly put all the pieces together about the war in Iraq and just exactly how the entire series of events, right up till now, came to transpire.
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Tags: Reviews · TV · World news
I’m not sure what the rest of you have been doing on Sunday nights around 9:00 PM, but I’ve been glued to HBO. The magnificent John Adams 7-part mini series has been quite possibly the best program on TV since Roots. We’re only three episodes in out of seven and so far I can hardly catch my breath. I think we can all agree that Paul Giamatti is an outstanding actor as well as Laura Linney, but their portrayals of John & Abigail Adams are truly captivating. You must watch this show.
When I think back to all the American history classes I’ve taken throughout my life I remember feeling a certain fondness for our 2nd President Mr. John Adams. I can remember the musical 1776 where Adams railed out against the evils of slavery and the hypocrisy of seeking freedom for white Americans while the Negroes remain in bondage. Never a slave owner, Adams understood completely that people should be judged based on their accomplishments and abilities and not on their color or family heritage. I think that John Adams is one of the most under-appreciated characters in the history of our great country and I’m so thrilled that finally someone (HBO) has given his life and work their just rewards.
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Tags: Reviews · TV
