The Knack – Most Underrated Band of All Time???

I happened to stumble across a couple of ‘instant watch’ gems on Netflix a few nights ago – a 2004 documentary feature and a (debatably) live 2001 concert video, both featuring The Knack. After inundating myself for two and a half hours with the music and myth of Doug Fieger & company, I remembered how much I loved their songs and how utterly abused they were in their heyday back in the late 70s & early 80s...

Everyone has a band or two, or a singer, who they consider their ‘secret’...not necessarily an obscure act, but a performer or group who hang around on the fringes of success, never quite becoming blockbuster icons. For Agent 5150, those acts include Living Colour (look beyond “Cult of Personality”, my friends), Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, Zebra, and The Rainmakers. However, the one ‘guilty pleasure’ group whose half-dozen studio CDs I always seem to turn to escape the same old, same old (yes, I admit it...there’s only so much “Panama” I can take!!!) are The Knack...

Laugh if you will, Frickers (and you know who you are), but the fact is The Knack were much, much more than a Beatles knock-off. “Get The Knack”, their mega-selling debut, may be one of the best albums of the rock era…period. From beginning to end, one infectious song after the next, the disc gets in your head and never leaves. Sure, “My Sharona” may be widely acknowledged as one of the greatest songs of all time by fans and haters alike, but little known gems like “Siamese Twins (The Monkey And Me)”, “Frustrated”, “Your Number Or Your Name”, and “(She’s So) Selfish” are far better than most of the ‘hits’ on your iPod today. Even the follow-ups that ultimately doomed the band in its first go-round, “...but the little girls understand” and “Round Trip”, are solid. When The Knack launched a comeback with three more albums (“Serious Fun”, “Zoom”, “Normal As The Next Guy”) from 1991 to 2001, the public was indifferent (with the exception of the minor hit “Rocket O’Love”) but the music was still excellent...

Hard to believe, but time has been harder on the band than the critics were. Original drummer Bruce Gary died in 2006, and singer & primary songwriter Doug Fieger has been battling cancer for years. The most important thing is Doug’s health, but I have to admit that it saddens me that we’ll probably never hear from The Knack again beyond the occasional nostalgia gig. With that in mind, let’s cherish the music they gave us, pompous critics be damned. Go ahead, crank up “My Sharona” but don’t forget to groove on “That’s What The Little Girls Do”, “The Hard Way”, “Africa”, “Lil’ Cals Big Mistake”, “Won’t Let Go/Aces & Eights”, and “Pop Is Dead” as well...

It’s never too late to “Get The Knack”, kids!!!

With 10 ‘Best Picture’ Slots Now Available, Why Not “Fanboys”???

Okay, okay…I acknowledge that I’m REALLY stretching common sense to its limits with my latest blog entry’s title. However, what better way to expose the flaws in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ recent decision to expand the ‘Best Picture’ field for the Academy Awards from five films to ten by comparing a prestigious nominated film from last year with a lowbrow comedy that bombed at the box office earlier this year? Are ya feelin’ me?

Yes, Agent 5150 saw two movies this past week - “The Reader” and “Fanboys”. And I will tell you right up front that I give both movies 2 ½ Eddies. My point…if a somber drama that the Weinsteins pushed into the last Oscar race is on a par quality-wise with a flick about goofy “Star Wars” fans (ironically, also distributed by the Weinsteins), what foolish decisions await us early next year when the Academy’s best goes ‘Top Ten’?

On to the reviews, hmmm? “The Reader” starts off on an extremely creepy note – Kate Winslet seduces a fifteen-year-old boy. Winslet has always been considered brave by Hollywood for her willingness to appear naked on screen, but the context here turns her nudity into something distasteful. Once the disturbing premise plays out, the movie settles into a low-key, somewhat effective legal thriller-lite with some unrequited love thrown in for good measure. Worth watching once? Sure. One of the five best films of 2008? Not hardly.

As for “Fanboys”, I find it mindboggling that a movie with this many comedy stars fell flat on its face. Jay Baruchel, Dan Fogler, and Kristen Bell on a road trip to sneak an advance peek at “Episode One”? Seth Rogen playing three different roles? Cameos up the ying-yang? Less than $1 million at the box office?!?!

I have no idea what happened behind the scenes to botch the release of “Fanboys”, but the movie itself is a fairly amusing lark with some classic lines that deserved a better fate. In fact, let’s rectify the situation and start the campaign for “Fanboys” for Best Picture immediately! After all, if early returns point to J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” getting an Oscar nod, what better smackdown could we hope for at the Academy Awards than the Trekkers/Trekkies calling Han Solo a bitch on the red carpet at the Kodak Theatre?!?!

The Greatest (Fictional) American Hero

Agent 5150 has always had an obsession with heroes. Maybe it’s because my moral code hasn’t always been as perfect as I would have liked it to be. Maybe it’s because I too often look at the negative in life yet always hope for the best with the start of every new day. Maybe it’s because I haven’t helped everybody I could, every possible time I could. Maybe it’s because to settle for being the flawed human being I am seems somehow disingenuous...

Anyway, enough psychobabble. I got to thinking about what would constitute my idea of a perfect hero (we’ll stick with fictional characters for this debate; real-life heroes are too few & far between, and too precious to even consider debasing with this silly exercise). If I look back through all the movies, novels, and television shows I’ve digested over my many years, which qualities from which characters would I combine to create Agent 5150’s ultimate heroic icon? Let’s take a look at the top ten (in no particular order), shall we?

1) The laconic cool of Clint Eastwood’s ‘Man with No Name’ and ‘Dirty Harry’. Never a doubt. No distractions. Never needs anyone...ever. No friends, no women, nobody. The ultimate representation of independence. How can you go wrong when you have that much faith in yourself?

2) The world-weary optimism of Dave Robicheaux. Battled the bottle and the dark underbelly of New Orleans but still believes in love and friendship. Enough said.

3) The self-assured fragility of Sonny Crockett. Confident enough to seduce any woman, but sensitive enough to bow out of the picture if he feels his baggage is too great a burden for her to handle.

4) The ability to change exhibited by Jimmy McNulty (we'll pretend Season Five never happened). From boozer to family man in roughly one season of “The Wire”, he experienced the hypothetical ‘moment of clarity’ that all men deep down inside hope to face at some point in their lives.

5) The strength to stay the course at all costs shown by Patrick Kenzie (especially in “Gone Baby Gone”). Kenzie gave up the love of his life because he couldn’t reconcile one crucial moral decision with her. Would you take that kind of an emotional hit to stick to your guns?

6) The capacity to help people even when every fiber of your being screams against it for fear of being hurt as shown by Lew Fonesca. His wife was killed by a drunk driver. Fonesca actually took the drunk driver in over the span of a few books until they reached a level of forgiveness that worked well for both of them. Would you be strong enough to do that?

7) The analytical focus of Alex Delaware (and Nero Wolfe, as well). All business, all the time. Well, maybe a little nookie and fine cuisine thrown in for good measure...

8) The perfect balance of smart-ass and dead-serious problem solver, as demonstrated by Elvis Cole. Cole hasn’t exactly matured or evolved over the years…life has just had its way with him. He’s a little more bitter than he was when we first met him, but he can still sling a wicked sarcastic barb when needed...

9) The Hemingway-esque view of life demonstrated by Travis McGee. Beds a ton of women, always waxes philosophical about evil and love and man’s inhumanity to man. Kicks ass, beds more women. He gets it.

10) The clear chivalric code of Spenser. Will kill when needed, will make a deal with the devil if it leads to a net positive in the end...

If some of these names aren’t familiar to you, Google ‘em. Or better yet, go to Amazon.com or Best Buy (or your local library, if you’re pinching pennies like most of us) and get a copy of the book or DVD. Feel free to send me your suggestions, ideas, or arguments for or against any of my picks...

After all, our heroes are as unique as we are, right?

Mini-Minds: The Battle Between Megan Fox & Michael Bay

Megan Fox is hot. Michael Bay makes movies that bring in the GNP of a robust third-world country virtually every time out. However, both (especially Bay) need to come to grips with their respective places in the Hollywood food chain…

As an example, let’s look at their recent war of words after the release of their mega-hit “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (swiftly becoming one of the worst-reviewed movies of all time, by the way). To quickly paraphrase both parties, Fox pointed out this past week that the Transformers movies are more about FX and robots than acting; Bay then became indignant, played the ‘immature’ card on Megan, and rattled off a list of actors he’s helped ‘launch’…

I’d stake my collection of Van Halen CDs that Megan Fox is not a member of Mensa. That being said, I’ve got to side with the tattooed hottie in this verbal skirmish…and not just because she’s a tattooed hottie. Michael Bay is a hack. Always has been, always will be. I have to believe that Megan Fox knows deep down inside that she has her face & body to thank for her career accomplishments thus far. On the other hand, Bay wants us to believe he’s the second coming of Martin Scorsese. Why? Because he’s essentially claiming to be responsible for the big-screen successes of performers such as Nicolas Cage, Shia LaBeouf, Ben Affleck, Will Smith, and Martin Lawrence…

WHAT?!?! Note to Mr. Bay: Just because you pay an actor a crapload of money to be in your movie doesn’t mean you become his muse, his mentor, and his agent all wrapped together into one convenient pompous package. Let’s look at your ouvre as a director, shall we? (For the sake of sparing you even more embarrassment, we’ll skip your producer credits…remakes of “Friday The 13th”, “A Nightmare On Elm Street”, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, “The Hitcher”, and “The Amityville Horror”…since to name those wondrous projects would taint the jury in Megan’s favor much, much too quickly!)

You, Mr. Bay, have been at the helm of such modern-day ‘classics’ as “Bad Boys” (NOT the great Sean Penn film), “Bad Boys II”, “Armageddon”, “Pearl Harbor”, “The Rock”, and “The Island”…ugh. I’ll admit to enjoying “The Rock” but not much else in your repertoire, Mikey. And I think Nic Cage & Ben Affleck would have been okay without your influence on their careers…you see, both have Oscars from movies you had nothing to do with!!! And I have a feeling your ‘lifetime achievement’ award from the Academy is still in the early, early planning stages. Special effects & mindless action guru – yes. Master storyteller – hell no.

So, Megan wins. Nothing wrong with that. Heck, it gives Agent 5150 a chance to post a smokin’ picture of her for you to enjoy, faithful reader.

Transform that, Mr. Bay…

(For the full scoop, check out http://www.usmagazine.com/news/director-megan-fox-says-some-very-ridiculous-things-200927)

Hit the Rewind ‘Button’: Agent 5150’s Take on ‘Benjamin’...

As my esteemed colleague Ice Cream Man pointed out in his initial “FV” posting, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is an overlong romance involving a man who is born old and ages in reverse. ICM was also correct in his observation that a decent chunk of this film could have been cut without hurting the narrative flow in the least. However, I will be more kind in my assessment of “Benjamin Button” – its heart is in the right place, and David Fincher still has the magic touch in crafting a visually stunning movie...

(Note: We here at “FV” normally dispense with the usual flick review tricks – if we tell you too much of the plot, we feel that we’re spoiling the experience for you, so we won’t. We’re more concerned with the details...why we liked it or why we didn’t. We’re not ‘Cliffs Notes for Movies’...if you can’t dig that, go check out “Entertainment Weekly” and their myriad ‘Spoiler Alerts’ instead!)

As a few other critics have pointed out, “Benjamin Button” is strikingly similar to “Forrest Gump”. Both films are primarily set around New Orleans and the Deep South. Both films observe American and international history as part of the storyline. Both deal with romances destined to end badly. However, the differences between the two are the differences between an Oscar-winning classic (“Gump”) and an Oscar-nominated near-miss (“BB”). Forrest Gump ducked in and out of historical events as his charmed life unfolded...he WAS history, albeit in the background. Benjamin Button is merely a passive observer. Forrest was a simpleton with good luck. Benjamin is thoughtful and introspective…a genial soul. The lovers in “Gump” are constantly being pulled apart. In “Button”, Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are always brought back together by some karmic force. Gump was interesting. Button really isn’t. On the plus side, “Benjamin Button” comes off as more human than “Gump”...emotions and lessons about life are deeper in a film where the primary character seems like he could be a real person (the whole ‘aging backwards’ trick notwithstanding) as opposed to a mythical creature of sorts.

Again, I’ll give “Benjamin Button” a bit more credit than ICM…I’ll go with 3 Eddies. Yes, the whole Tilda Swinton subplot is unnecessary, and using Hurricane Katrina as a narrative tentpole seems a bit callous. However, in this age of creative bankruptcy in Hollywood, a solid rip-off of “Forrest Gump” may actually be worthy of Academy Award consideration...

How tragic is that?