Last night I was listening to an old mix CD I had made probably in tenth grade, when Anna Nalick’s song “In My Head” came on. I wouldn’t say I had completely forgotten about Anna, but I guess I had forgotten about what gorgeous song she writes because I instantly felt sixteen again and like I was hearing the song for the first time again. Which got me thinking, whatever happened to Anna Nalick? Continue reading
I usually don’t post articles that are considered old news, but I found this piece so well-written and inspiring, that I figured what the eff.
Some of you might rememer James Ransone from HBO’s The Wire, Ken Park, or Generation Kill–and if you do happen to know who he is, congrats, you’re a cool person. Last weekend I saw Ken Park for the first time (NOT for the weak stomach) and was completely shocked and struck by his performance as an angry teen who (SPOILER) winds up brutally killing his grandparents because his grandfather cheated in a game of Scrabble. It was a pretty crazy role, and he handled it greatly.
But after a Google search, I also had a lot of admiration for him too. About a year ago, James wrote this article for Malibu Magazine, and did so with candid honesty and potency. You’ll have to read the whole thing to really get it, but trust me, it’s a really inspiring piece. ALSO one thing that was not mentioned in this article is that James recently saved a girl from a rapist by beating him down with a metal bar (story here). See, what’s not to love about him?
THE STORY:
Twenty-seven is a strange age in the most Joseph Campbell sense of the number, especially for the male persuasion. It is the time when you realize you’re not 20 anymore, that whatever clever antics you may have done at a younger age now make you cringe. You’re also coming up hard on 30 and I think you start to evaluate the path that you’re on. Twenty-seven is the age when rock stars die and become legends, but to me it marked the death of my youth, when my past caught up with me and punched me in the head.
I weighed 115 pounds, was about 30 grand in debt and had developed a pretty healthy heroin habit. I had a few accomplishments under my belt as far as my career was concerned: I had been in some successful movies and television shows, and a few almost-successful rock bands. I was “cool” (in my mind at least) to a handful of downtown Manhattan degenerates. Things got so out of control in my head, that at one point I remember being offended when my agency would send me scripts for roles as “the junkie.” Looking back, I was far from the person I wanted to be. I was quickly on my way to being a 30-year-old adolescent. Twenty-seven changed that.
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Within the next few weeks, I will be reviewing some of the most controversial, thought-provoking, and well-known cult classics in context of their social impact and the message they’re trying to send (if any).
These will range from the campy to the heartbreaking. Below is a list of the first few movies being reviewed, check back tomorrow for the first one (“Kids”) and in the coming weeks for more! I’m going to try to do one or two a week. And please comment! I’d love suggestions, and discussions about the movies being reviewed. If it repulsed you, let me know. If it changed your life, then definitely let me know. Either way, I’d love to have a dialogue going about the films being discussed.
And now, in order, are the films being reviewed:
1) Kids
2) Salo, or 120 Days of Sodomy
3) Showgirls
4) The Doom Generation
5) Female Trouble
If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments!! I’m open to anything.
The Magnificent B 