'U2 3D': The 'future of film'?
While inter-site blog-linking is not my favorite of things to do, there's plenty of music-related activities happening at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, that my colleagues are tracking (suckers --they're missing 'round the clock coverage of the Australian Open). So here's some random notes -- most of them Sundance-related.
"U2 3D": While I probably would have followed Kenneth Turan to check out "Sleep Dealer," Sheigh Crabtree opted instead to skip the sci-fi film in favor of collecting fan reactions to the concert film "U2 3D." Initially, I chalked up the gushing responses to little more than fan hyperbole ("It was like watching the future of film unfold in front of my eyes," said one), but Wired's Eliot Van Buskirk went so far as to write that it was the "best rock show" he had ever attended.
Hmmm -- I'm still a little skeptical, since it's a concert film coming off of U2's most paint-by-numbers album ("How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb"), and Bono is no Fuzzbucket, but the early reactions have indeed piqued my curiosity. Check the video player over here for fan reactions.
Grammy tidbit: Writers Guild of America strike? Best new artist nominee Paramore doesn't seem to care, as the FOFOB (friends of Fall Out Boy) tells Billboard it will be in attendance at the Feb. 10 ceremony, having even rearranged its schedule. Also, expect it to be announced shortly that Aretha Franklin will be performing at the Grammy Awards.
The press is still indulging 50 Cent. Now he's producing movies. Cause we all want more of where "Get Rich Or Die Tryin" came from.
Mary-Kate Olsen's "The Wackness" is shaping up to have a pretty intriguing soundtrack, reports Crabtree. The music is focused on mid-'90s hip-hop, with some Tribe Called Quest and Nas, among others (but no mention of Arrested Development, sadly).
Good music will be had this week, led by the new album from pysch-metal act Black Mountain, as well as the Matador debut from fuzzed-up rockers Times New Viking. Also of note, the latest from singer/songwriter Cat Power.
And though the Sundance coverage my colleagues have provided has been largely entertaining and comprehensive, I'm puzzled by two things. One, the hunt for Paris Hilton, as if she's, you know, ever been a shut-in. There's some of that here. And here. And here. Hurry! Soon she'll be back in L.A. and returning to her bookish ways. And two, hasn't anyone seen "Anvil" yet? And yes, it's strong enough to sell. I'm already sold.
(Photo: "U2 3D," courtesy www.u23dmovie.com)
