Audrey Hendrickson

It's time for another set of new DVD releases, care of our good friends at Scarecrow Video. First, because I have to: Release the Kraken! Yes, this week brings Clash of the Titans, the widely panned epic mythology battle starring Bad 3-D. There's also Repo Men, which foretells our dystopian organ transplantation future.  It's not entirely stupid, but I just can't buy Jude Law as the ripped action hero.  There's also a couple crappy horror flicks: The Uninvited and Don't Look Up.

Looking at the foreign releases, check out Vincere, a biopic on Mussolini and the tumultuous relationship with his much-maligned longtime lover. There's also Ip Man, a biopic on the man who taught Bruce Lee martial arts. And Criterion has their edition of French-Turisian family drama, The Secret of the Grain, which is all about couscous.

---

Just a couple documentaries this week. I Need That Record! is a loving look at the independent music store. And The Art of the Steal is a documentary on a cache of modern and post-impressionist art and the many museums jostling for control of the $25B collection.

---

In the grab bag section, there's a couple cartoons: Batman: Under the Red Hood and G.I. Joe: The Movie. A cartoon of a different sort is the latest edition in Tom Selleck's long-running lawman Jesse Stone series. This one's entitled No Remorse. And finally there's Operation: Endgame, which looks to be a perfectly decent direct-to-DVD movie about rival teams of assassins, based on the cast alone, including Rob Corddry, Zach Galifianakis, Jeffrey Tambor, Adam Scott, and Bob Odenkirk.

We're only one episode into Season 4 of Mad Men, and already I can't wait to see where things are headed. Like, how will the Surgeon General's 1964 report on the dangers of smoking (and the subsequent required warning on cigarette packs) affect the fledgling ad firm's biggest client, Lucky Strikes? Will we ever see our old pals Kinsey and Cosgrove again? And wherefore art thou, Joan's terrible husband and Roger's terrible wife?

And what better way to kick off the new season than with Natasha Vargas-Cooper's new book?  Born of her recurring series on The Awl, Mad Men Unbuttoned: A Romp Through 1960s America is a look at the show via mini-essays that make pointed, witty observations on the cultural context of the early '60s. So you can quickly read all about what Betty's suburban decor says about her and her family, how the writers of the time--John Cheever, Helen Gurley Brown, Mary McCarthy, Frank O'Hara--inform the series, and why the character of Don Draper is the careful combination of traits found in Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, and John Wayne.  That's a near-deadly admixture of sex appeal.

To celebrate the return of Mad Men, The SunBreak has three copies of Mad Men Unbuttoned to give away. Enter below for your chance to win a copy. We'll be drawing three winners' names Friday at noon.

---

---

There was a great sigh of relief Sunday night all across the land to accompany the Season 4 premiere of Mad Men. It was so good to see all our old friends again, especially how they've all changed in the past year of television time: Peggy grew out her bangs! Don likes it rough! Betty's unhappily married! JFK is still dead.

And what better way to kick off the new season than with Natasha Vargas-Cooper's new book?  Born of her recurring series on The Awl, Mad Men Unbuttoned: A Romp Through 1960s America is a look at the show via mini-essays that make pointed, witty observations on the cultural context of the early '60s. So you can quickly read all about the great real-life ad men of the time, the Rothko painting in Bert Cooper's office, what Peggy likely did and didn't learn in secretary school, and just how easy it was to procure an illegal abortion. Fun facts for the whole family!

To celebrate the return of Mad Men, The SunBreak has three copies of Mad Men Unbuttoned to give away. Enter below for your chance to win a copy. We'll be drawing three winners' names Friday at noon.

---

---

It's a warm and wonderful summer day, so let's stay inside.  Whether you are avoiding those oppressive rays of sunshine or the unmitigated hellscape known as Capitol Hill Block Party, today's a good day to hole up and watch some movies.  So let's take a look at the new DVD releases this week, care of our good friends at Scarecrow Video.

This week is actually light on new releases, which you can tell by the big studio films out this week.  There's The Losers, which even comic book nerds/action fans didn't like, and Cop Out, Kevin Smith's latest, which nobody liked.  Rock chick fan pic The Runaways fared better.  Yes, it ostensibly stars Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett (and Dakota Fanning as Cherrie Curie), but come on now--it's Michael Shannon as manager-svengali Kim Fowley who really steals the show.

---

In foreign films, there's Mother, Bong Joon-Ho's (The Host) latest thriller about a mom desperate to track down a killer in order to free her framed son.  There's also A Town Called Panic, which follows the adventures of a group of ragtag toys. WARNING: This is a French stop-motion comedy.

---

Shout Factory just released a couple more titles from their Roger Corman collection: Galaxy of Terror and Forbidden World.  And Criterion has a duo of new releases from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes.

And finally, there's the documentary The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, about the think tank military analyst-cum-whistleblower who single-handedly changed the perception of the Vietnam War by leaking top-secret DoD documents to the press.  Good times.  That's the film I'd pick to watch on this bright and sunny summer day.

Last week Octo Sushi opened up in the 12th Avenue space where dearly departed Crave used to be.  Actually, the restaurant is larger than the Linke Building's former occupant, taking up both the front windowed area, as well as the room behind. It's a smart idea (that front section is both tiny and prone to getting hot in the summer), but while the back section is cool (and well-designed with wood paneling), it's also dark and maybe too large for the amount of business the restaurant is getting thus far.

---

I was there for a Thursday dinner in which the front section was completely empty and the back room only had a few tables with customers during what should be its prime dinner hours (6:30 till 8:30 or so). But as a result, the service was attendant and the food arrived in no time. The kitchen is up front, while the sushi chef is busy cutting in the back. And yet somehow, my order initially arrived with sashimi instead of nigiri, and I overheard another table have a similar issue with a roll. Also for the record, if you bring me the wrong item of food, I will gladly eat that while you prepare the correct one. Just sayin'.

---

The food was decent and certainly cheap enough to warrant multiple visits. I'm not a big fan of calamari in ring form (the only thing worse? calamari fries), but I made do. I've also never had a tuna roll where the sauce was applied to the roll instead of being mixed into the tuna, but again, no harm, no foul. The menu has a big selection of both nigiri a la carte as well as rolls, and the rolls aren't so big that they dislodge your jaw. So I'll be back at Octo for sure--it's a good addition to the neighborhood, as you can never have too much inexpensive sushi. I'm just looking forward to the inevitable introduction of a happy hour. 

Another week, another set of new DVD releases, care of our good friends at Scarecrow Video. Let me start by telling you to avoid The Bounty Hunter. I'm not alone in that thought, as it's one of the worst-reviewed films of the year. Look for many forthcoming Razzie nominations. Greenberg, on the other hand, is well worth your time, assuming you like Noah Baumbach's uncomfortable true-to-life studies in sociopathy and have longed to see Ben Stiller in a film without the word "Fockers" in the the title.

Weepy dead son drama The Greatest is over-the-top maudlin, but got a theater release due to strong grieving performances from Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon, as well as rising stars Carey Mulligan and Aaron Johnson. Meanwhile, Atom Egoyan's love triangle Chloe features some hot Julianne Moore on Amanda Seyfried action.

---

In terms of documentaries, this week brings 8: The Mormon Proposition, the Prop 8 doc recently at SIFF, narrated by Milk scribe Dustin Lance Black. In the same vein is Fagbug, in which a woman's VW Beetle is graffitied with anti-gay slurs, and in response, instead of getting a new paint job, she decided to go on a road trip and document others' reactions. Finally out on DVD is America the Beautiful, a 2007 doc about the American obsession with beauty and the subsequent deleterious effects on society. On a lighter note, Don't You Forget About Me is a love letter to dearly departed John Hughes.

---

Looking at the foreign film releases, there's the Criterion Collection edition of two films by Yasujiro Ozu, The Only Son and There Was a Father. There's also two films from Down Under: Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger, an indie coming-of-age film with Keisha Castle and Toni Collette, and the just-played-SIFF My Year Without Sex, in which a brain injury leads to the titular condition. It's a comedy! Then there's Terribly Happy, about a big-city policeman who moves to a small town after a breakdown. That doesn't sound terribly happy, (especially with its original Danish title Frygtelig lykkelig), but it's supposed to be very Coens Brother-y.

Now for the random flicks: Our Family Wedding is a hilarious (it is not hilarious) look at a black family and a Mexican family coming together when their children get married. Carlos Mencia is one of the fathers of the bride--nuff said.  2:37 is a high school drama with intersecting stories, all of which converge at 2:37 p.m. Parasomnia is a serial killer sleeping thriller, while How to Make Love to a Woman is a comedy about learning how to give a girl the big O. Middle of Nowhere stars Eva Amurri with her real-life mama, Susan Sarandon. Saint John of Las Vegas is a quirky comedy, which you can tell by the wacky cast: Steve Buscemi, Sarah Silverman, Peter Dinklage, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Cho. In other wonders of casting, Formosa Betrayed is a based-on-a-true-story Taiwanese espionage drama with James Van Der Beek as an FBI agent. The Beek is back, baby!

If one thing is clear it's that the New Pornographers are just as good live as they are in recorded form.  (See their recent late-night performance on Jimmy Fallon above.) Their new album Together features not only the band's core eight members, but also Will Sheff from Okkervil River, Annie Clark from St. Vincent, The Dap Kings, and Zach Condon from Beirut, amongst others.  Not bad.

The ridiculously talented Canadian supergroup comes to Seattle for two nights--July 31 and August 1--to share their deliciously whipsmart power pop goodness with sure to be sold-out crowds at the Showbox. The SunBreak has a pair of tickets to give away (you pick the night at the Showbox), along with the new album. The grand prize winner gets the tickets as well as a copy of the album; second prize is just a copy of Together. (Transportation is not provided, so you need to be able to get to the venue in order to win the tix. You don't have to be local to win the copy of the album.) We'll be drawing the winners on Friday at noon. Enter below for your chance to win.

---

---

Good lord, you're all so pretty.

Yeah, there's Toy Story 3, but that's not so much a summer popcorn flick as it is a chance for grown men to cry in a movie theater. Besides that, the cinemaplex is a vast entertainment desert. Everything else in wide release is for children or manchildren. So there's really no reason to spend much time at a theater between now and--oh, let's say October, just to be safe. 

Enter Inception. In a studio environment dominated by remakes, sequels, and sequels to remakes, Inception is truly something new.  While Christopher Nolan's dream-within-a-dreamscape has nods to 2001, Mission: Impossible, the entire James Bond franchise, and The Matrix, it does so in a winking way, rather than ripping off those ideas or beating you over the head with the references. Though it retains the structure of a heist flick, Inception is daringly original and unafraid to aim high. The film occasionally threatens to collapse under its own weight (and two-and-half-hour running time), but somehow it doesn't. And Nolan, along with his dexterous, high-flying cast, pulls it off in a rather sly fashion.

---

The plot? This is definitely one of those films where the less you know, the better. Leonardo DiCaprio (thankfully sans Boston accent, as well as Marty Scorsese) makes his living spelunking into others' dreams, with the help of a team of suit-clad professionals, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy. Usually, their work involves invading a dreamer's subconscious to extract information, but this time around, they've been hired by global business magnate Ken Watanabe to get into the dreams of one of his rivals (Cillian Murphy) and plant the seed that he needs to dissolve his corporate empire. You know, business stuff. Ellen Page plays the architect who creates the dreamworld they enter, and as the newest member of the team, she serves as character that helps explain The Rules to the audience.

---

And that's all you really need to know. The dream team traverses the globe (both within the subconscious and IRL), going into unconsciousness and even deeper than that. The beautiful cast acts beautifully, with Leo employing his perma-furrowed brow to great effect. There's some solid action sequences, including chase scenes where you can actually tell who's chasing whom--are you taking notes, Paul Greengrass?--and CGI special effects that aren't annoying within the context of dream logic (see the streets of Paris folding upon themselves). 

Inception's not perfect, but it is fun. It's a high-minded sci-fi meta-thriller, a piece of entertainment that excites while making you think, and one that challenges its viewers to keep up with the action.  Considering all the dregs currently at the box office, it's nice to have a film that doesn't condescend to its audience or treat them like a pack of slobbering idiots. For that, Christopher Nolan, I salute you.

Inception opens tomorrow at the Meridian, the Neptune, Majestic Bay, the Big Picture, and the Metro. It also plays in IMAX at Pacific Science Center and Thornton Place.

Once again, ridiculously talented Canadian supergroup New Pornographers has a new album out, and of course, Together is just as solid as the rest of their discography. The band has already played Sasquatch, and will play Lollapalooza as well as the Matador 21st birthday party, along with the rest of their regular tour dates. 

Locally, A.C. Newman and Neko Case and Co. will be stopping by for two nights--July 31 and August 1--to share their deliciously whipsmart power pop goodness with sure to be sold-out crowds at the Showbox. The SunBreak has a pair of tickets to give away (you pick the night at the Showbox), along with the new album. The grand prize winner gets the tickets as well as a copy of the album; second prize is just a copy of Together. (Transportation is not provided, so you need to be able to get to the venue in order to win the tix. You don't have to be local to win the copy of the album.) We'll be drawing the winners on Friday at noon. Enter below for your chance to win.

---

---

Last Thursday night, Brooklyn-by-way-of-Athens indie space-dream-folk band Phosphorescent--set to play the Croc on Friday, July 31--became the latest victim of equipment theft, when their van chockful of instruments and gear was stolen outside of a residence in Greenpoint.  The band cancelled a few shows and reached out to their network of fans and fellow musicians for support, who responded with donations of money and replacement instruments. 

Feeling overwhelmed with gratitude, frontman Matthew Houck sent out a message-cum-beat poem of thanks, which reads in part:

Thank You / Everyone / So many people / Friends and strangers / Have stepped forward / So quickly and with such generosity / It has transformed this thing / Into a truly amazing and heartwarming / Affirmation of community and love and spirit / Good vibes and support arriving from far and near / And I want to express how humbled and / Tremendously appreciative / We all are

A couple stanzas later, it started getting good, when Matthew touched upon everyone's new favorite internet meme:

---

---

We can't wait to see you all out there / And thank you in person / Or to quote that awesome guy from the mountains on the internet / Double rainbow! / All the way across the sky / It's a Double. / Complete. / Rainbow. / Whoa! / Whoahhh / Ohhhhhh

That was yesterday.  And then today came the news that their van was recovered, along with all the gear intact and undamaged.  Talk about good karma, and behold the power of the double rainbow! Or, to quote Insane Clown Posse, "So many miracles, the magic miracles."