Carlos @ The Texas Theatre (best way to spend 5 1/2 hours this weekend)

You could do many things in the time required to enjoy the French TV mini-series Carlos in it's director intended 313 minute run time. Whatever other 'important things' you have to do, they can all wait till next weekend.  This is the only weekend to catch one of the best (albeit it long) films of 2010 on the big screen. I caught the first two installments of the three part series on IFC during it's brief On Demand run , then the cable company cut me off due to non-payment. The four hours I spent with Carlos flew by faster than  a misguided scud rocket. I am looking forward to re-visiting those two episodes and finally seeing the tail end of this flamboyant character's absurd life in terrorism.

With Carlos's mix of slick action, acting, politics and copious nudity; it will no doubt stand the test of time alongside the other great epic crime biopics. This is only the second time for the film to be shown in Texas, the other being at the Alamo Draft House of course. I doubt you will be seeing this again in theaters for a long time. I'll have a full review some point in the future.

 Poster of the year as well.

Saturday and Sunday at 4:30pm 

The Texas Theatre

TICKETS

Frank's Top Ten of Everything 2010 : Day Three

Hey keep checking back here all month long for new best of everything top 10s. Also other stuff maybe, really kicking this shit into gear in February.

 

FILM

Toy Story 3 - USA - Lee Unkrich

Toy Story 3 is an animated family movie in the same way that Hour of the Wolf is a horror movie or Dead Man is a western. This thing is meta as fuck with out feeling too preachy or forceful. The film has tons of well timed humor and lovable characters for the kids so the parents don't have to explain what is REALLY going in order for them to enjoy it. The story is engrossing, logical and a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Topics central to the plot include social constructs, dismemberment fetishism, gender roles and facing mortality. I am a big fan of animation of any kind and while I have always enjoyed Pixar films, this is the first one I think should be nominated for best picture.

POPULAR MUSIC

jj - jj nº 3 - Secretly Canadian

Like last year's release, the aptly titled jj nº 2, the experimental Swedish pop duo once again fell underneath the radar of most major hype blogs, which is the only way music like this can stand a chance these days. Why didn't it catch on? I think many people dismissed the album even before it's release due to the short span between this and their last release. The short incubation time does show on the album, but it makes the album sound fresher than most indie pop released this year. A very unique record in a sea of boring derision.

 LOCAL MUSIC

Dharma

I love all the darker, electronic based music coming out of the area recently. Dharma is the brainchild of Kevyn Green who pushes the theatrics up to 11 in her live performance and on record. She brings a heaping helping of energy to the stage but that energy is focused and almost always menacing. The sound could be best described as the bastard love child between Crystal Castles and Lady GaGa that was born addicted to cough syrup. It's dark stuff alright, but you can dance to it too.