Assemblog: May 25, 2012

The Great Gatsby, 2012
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

New this week on Popshifter: The Monks; reviews of The Quintet: Jazz At Massey Hall, Max Payne 3, Ernie Kovacs: Percy Dovetonsils . . . thpeaks, and The Lowbrow Reader Reader; plus When Community Is A Commodity

Who is Blind Benny? This duo of singer Jade<3 and musician and producer Jonathan Carmelli has a new EP coming out in September. Check out Jade<3's gorgeous voice in this video for "No Honor." You read the word "ethereal" in a lot of music reviews, but it truly applies here. The song is evocative of Rita Lee-era Os Mutantes, Air, and even Cocteau Twins.

Oh James, how we’ve missed you. I posted about Skyfall and James Bond a few weeks ago, but it seems that the release date is actually November 9. The teaser trailer is out, and it’s certainly intriguing. (H/T to /Film!)

If you can’t wait until then and you happen to live in the L.A. area, you’re a lucky person. All 22 Bond films will be screening in June courtesy of the American Cinematheque. More details are available here.

For those of us in the Toronto area, however, there is some good news. TIFF Bell Lightbox is presenting Designing 007—Fifty Years of Bond Style from October 26 through January 13, 2013. Watch this space for updates!

I realize that not everyone is a fan of filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, but I am. His over-the-top cinematic ambitions don’t always work, but they are always fascinating. The trailer for his upcoming interpretation of The Great Gatsby is out now and it is marvelous.

If anyone can portray the excess and glamour of the 1920s, it’s Luhrmann. The cast (Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan) seems perfectly suited for their roles and . . . I never thought I’d say this, but this is a movie for which the over hyped 3D medium seems highly appropriate.

One day I will stop raving about Noomi Rapace, but today is not that day. There’s a new romantic thriller on the horizon for Ms. Rapace: Dead Man Down. According to Deadline, the plot is as follows:

Dead Man Down stars Farrell as the right-hand man to an underground crime lord in New York City who is seduced and blackmailed by Beatrice (Rapace), a crime victim seeking retribution. Their chemistry and intense relationship leads them to execute a violent and cathartic plan for revenge.

Colin Farrell is another guy who’s not to everyone’s taste, but when he has a good script and a good director (Intermission, The New World, In Bruges), he is outstanding. I look forward to see these two intense actors playing off each other.

You knew I couldn’t go a week without talking about genre stuff, so here’s a great article from Bloody Disgusting that asks, “Where are all the great werewolf movies?” I am probably in the minority of people who adored The Wolfman with Benicio del Toro and Emily Blunt from a few years back, but I also saw the extended cut instead of the despised theatrical release. So I’m definitely on board when it comes to fewer zombies and vampires, and more werewolves!

I spent a lot of time working on an article about Dan Harmon and Community, so I don’t have much else to discuss in the realm of TV, but here’s a neat “behind the scenes” trailer for Season 3 of The Walking Dead, an example of zombies done well. (Thanks to Twitch for the link!)

I know Season 2 got a lot of flak—and rightfully so—but it wasn’t a total loss. Here’s to Season 3’s new locations, new characters, and hopefully less Lori and more T-Dog and Daryl!

—Less Lee Moore, Managing Editor