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September 17, 2002
Scratch
Your average milquetoast moviegoer doesn't give two licks about hip-hop history, and who can blame 'em? From where they stand, rap ain't music, graffiti's a misdemeanor and the sound of a needle scratching vinyl curdles the blood like fingernails on a chalkboard. It's hard to imagine a greater sin than, say, taking a classic Robert Johnson Delta Blues album and tearing it up on the turntable. That is, until you hear what Mix Master Mike can do with that baby.
Posted by Peter Debruge at 11:59 AM | Comments (0)
September 13, 2002
Igby Goes Down
(out of four)
Imagine if Royal Tenenbaum met Mimi Slocumb (the matriarch in Igby Goes Down) -- the kids they might have! In some ways, the Slocumbs and the Tenenbaums aren't so different. In both families, children orbit their disconnected parents like satellites searching for any sign of affectionate life. As played by Susan Sarandon, Mimi's not so much a mother as a manager, bossing her children, Igby (Kieran Culkin) and Ollie (Ryan Phillippe), from her icy perch. In the opening scene of Igby Goes Down, Igby and Ollie patiently wait for a lethal cocktail to put their mother out of their misery. When the drugs don't take hold, they switch to Plan B, cinching a plastic bag over Mimi's head until she finally stops breathing.
Continue reading "Igby Goes Down"
Posted by Peter Debruge at 09:36 AM | Comments (0)