Media Junkie

Required Viewing: Slap Shot

Slap Shot
Universal Pictures/King's Road Entertainment
Rated: R
123 Minutes
1977

Author's Note: I dedicate this post to the memory of Paul Newman (January 26, 1925 - September 26, 2008), one of the most legendary actors of any generation as well as a respectable, charitable, generous human being.  You will be missed.

If you have ever watched an NHL hockey broadcast on television, you are familiar with George Roy Hill's cult classic comedy Slap Shot whether you know it or not.  If you have ever heard an announcer or commentator utter the word "Scouts?", you've just heard reference to Coach Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) upon discovering that his Charlestown Chiefs, a member of the fictional Federal League, were being watched by professional scouts, causing him and his team to cast sportsmanship aside in favor of brutal violence for entertainment's sake.

Slap Shot is undoubtedly one of the best sports comedies of all time, although you could drop the distinction and simply call it one of the funniest films ever - period.  It is referenced in every hockey league, in every team's locker room, on nearly every TV broadcast, and in the stands by avid hockey fans for both its comedy and its authenticity.  It's a laugh riot, but it still has heart, and is a genuine, realistic look at the trials of minor league hockey.  As someone who has been watching and attending various minor professional and junior hockey leagues for over fifteen years now, I can tell you that part of what makes Slap Shot so hysterical is that so much of it is actually true.

Essential Albums: The Silent Years - The Globe

The Silent Years
The Globe
2008
Defend Music

Buy This Album

After hearing about Metro Detroit's own indie rock darlings, The Silent Years, for quite some time, I finally decided the time was right to see what all the fuss was about.  After all, this was a local band that was getting some attention on a national level, most notably labeled by Spin Magazine as possibly "the best indie rock band in the country."  One listen to their second full-length record, The Globe, and it's obvious that all the praise is well deserved.

Though they've been local favorites for a while now, the five piece rock outfit seem to be one of those bands on the cusp of something big.  Having listened to their amazing debut EP, Stand Still Like The Hummingbird, a concise 7-track collection of such absolute quality that it deserves a listen from every pop-rock fan in the country, you can hear they are poised on the edge of capturing the general public's attention and The Globe may be the album to do it.

Movie Review: Burn After Reading

Burn After Reading
Working Title Films/Focus Features
Rated: R
96 Minutes
2008

There are some folks who just don't get the Coen Brothers.  Whether they're doing a dramatic, tension-filled thriller like No Country For Old Men or their trademark black humor in films like Fargo and The Big Lebowski, there are those who just don't see what all the fuss is about. 

True, their films are unconventional, but that is precisely what makes them so enjoyable.  In a sea of redundant, unnecessary remakes, insipid romantic comedies that all seem to follow the exact same plot structure, this week's newest Tyler Perry movie, and the greatest affront to intelligent movie-goers everywhere, parody films such as Disaster Movie and its ilk, their movies shine like a beacon in the darkness.  The release of a new Coen Brothers movie has become an event for me.  Maybe not as big as something like The Dark Knight or Guillermo del Toro's up and coming adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkein classic, The Hobbit, but they're a reason to be excited nonetheless because, at the very least, I know I'm going to be entertained for 90-plus minutes.

Their latest work, Burn After Reading, is a return to form after the bleak, moody No Country For Old Men (which I am not putting down, just for the record).  Following in the tradition of their best black comedies, Burn After Reading is filled with snappy writing, razor-sharp satire, and their brand of hysterical insanity.

CD Review: Jeremy Larson (Self-Titled)

Jeremy Larson
Jeremy Larson
2007
Outlook Music

Buy This Album

If there is any one thing that MySpace is good for, it's discovering new music.  While the majority of users are narcissistic adolescents who seem to judge their worth by how many friend requests they receive, MySpace has also become one of the easiest ways to seek out new artists.  Independent artists have smartly been taking advantage of the free social network's features to help promote their music to a wider audience that it would never reach if they were still relegated to the irrelevency of FM radio.

Often indie artists will search through pages of users who list certain bands in their interests, spending hours sending friend requests in the hopes that the people will check out their music.  And so it was with independent singer-songwriter Jeremy Larson, whose eponymously titled debut album is nothing short of amazing.  Just like independent rock bands like Grandaddy, Earlimart, and Detroit's own The Silent Years have renewed my faith in rock music, the intelligent lyrics and brilliantly constructed melodies of Larson have taught me that worthwhile pop music is still being made.