#221. Watch All of AFI's Top 100 Movies of All Time - Raging Bull

I checked in with Christian Sullivan, who gave me this one, for the official ruling. We're going with AFI's Tenth Anniversary List that they did in 2008, not the original 1998 list.

So tonight Seamus Sullivan and I got started by watching Raging Bull - #3 on the list and one of the many I've not seen yet. I came away with a few thoughts:

- I finally get how good Deniro is/was. I've obviously never seen any of his truly defining roles before.

- For a guy who can often be thought of as a one dimensional parody of himself, Joe Pesci really rocked it in this one.

- The background/music track was WAY louder than the dialogue track so I'm pretty sure we missed a 5th of the movie.

- Despite that it did a great job of building tension and got me really into it despite a lot of initial misgivings.

- Joe Pesci is either the greatest or worst Wingman of all time. The pool scene, in particular.

- I had no idea that the Jersey Shore stereotype is basically a direct descendant from these kinds of characters until watching this movie.

- Holy shit Joe Pesci just tried to straight up murder that dude with a car door!

- Did you fuck my wife? is a pretty great payoff.

So now the score reads:

CITIZEN KANE	1941
THE GODFATHER	1972
CASABLANCA	1942
RAGING BULL	1980
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN	1952
GONE WITH THE WIND	1939
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA	1962
SCHINDLER'S LIST	1993
VERTIGO	1958
THE WIZARD OF OZ	1939
CITY LIGHTS	1931
THE SEARCHERS	1956
STAR WARS	1977
PSYCHO	1960
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY	1968
SUNSET BLVD.	1950
THE GRADUATE	1967
THE GENERAL	1927
ON THE WATERFRONT	1954
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE	1946
CHINATOWN	1974
SOME LIKE IT HOT	1959
THE GRAPES OF WRATH	1940
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL	1982
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD	1962
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON	1939
HIGH NOON	1952
ALL ABOUT EVE	1950
DOUBLE INDEMNITY	1944
APOCALYPSE NOW	1979
THE MALTESE FALCON	1941
THE GODFATHER PART II	1974
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST	1975
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS	1937
ANNIE HALL	1977
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI	1957
THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES	1946
THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE	1948
DR. STRANGELOVE	1964
THE SOUND OF MUSIC	1965
KING KONG	1933
BONNIE AND CLYDE	1967
MIDNIGHT COWBOY	1969
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY	1940
SHANE	1953
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT	1934
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE	1951
REAR WINDOW	1954
INTOLERANCE	1916
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING	2001
WEST SIDE STORY	1961
TAXI DRIVER	1976
THE DEER HUNTER	1978
M*A*S*H	1970
NORTH BY NORTHWEST	1959
JAWS	1975
ROCKY	1976
THE GOLD RUSH	1925
NASHVILLE	1975
DUCK SOUP	1933
SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS	1941
AMERICAN GRAFFITI	1973
CABARET	1972
NETWORK	1976
THE AFRICAN QUEEN	1951
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK	1981
WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?	1966
UNFORGIVEN	1992
TOOTSIE	1982
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE	1971
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN	1998
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION	1994
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID	1969
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS	1991
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT	1967
FORREST GUMP	1994
ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN	1976
MODERN TIMES	1936
THE WILD BUNCH	1969
THE APARTMENT	1960
SPARTACUS	1960
SUNRISE	1927
TITANIC	1997
EASY RIDER	1969
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA	1935
PLATOON	1986
12 ANGRY MEN	1957
BRINGING UP BABY	1938
THE SIXTH SENSE	1999
SWING TIME	1936
SOPHIE'S CHOICE	1982
GOODFELLAS	1990
THE FRENCH CONNECTION	1971
PULP FICTION	1994
THE LAST PICTURE SHOW	1971
DO THE RIGHT THING	1989
BLADE RUNNER	1982
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY	1942
TOY STORY	1995
BEN-HUR	1959

76 to go...

#63. 365 Day Challenge - Day 2: Colin Grube

Today we take a look at my partner in crime, Mr. Colin Grube.

Who may or may not be The Joker.

Many of you are probably at least familiar with Flying V, my theater company dedicated to Awesomeness as a Theatrical Concept. And you may well know that Colin is an important part of the V as Associate Producer and Board Chair.

But what you may NOT know is that without Colin there would be no Flying V at all.

It was Colin who took Become What You Are (our first show) and pushed to create something longer and more lasting than a single show. And it was very much Colin's faith, belief, and support in me as a person and an artist that gave me the courage to actually put a flag in the sand and do this. We've been fighting on the front lines ever since - having pulled a company of tremendous artists that is in the process of producing it's third show in seven months basically out of our asses.

I don't honestly know what I did to deserve the kind of tremendous loyalty and support - emotionally, artistically, financially - that Colin has given and continues to give me. He already has his hands full being an extraordinarally hard working artist in his own right, a tremendous friend to so many others, and most importantly a father and husband one should aspire to be (and I can't stress that enough). But whatever it is, my goal is to never let him down. He is a very good man and someone I tremendously respect. His friendship, and his belief in me, drives me to make Flying V something worthy of both our legacies.

I don't have any pictures of us together. That should probably change.

#216. Raid Max Nova's Music

Jason Schlafstein : Comic Books is what Max Nova : Music

Take a look -

Holy Lord! And this isn't all of it.

A few years ago I had a total computer meltdown and lost my entire music collection. I have lived almost without music for the last two years. And so tonight I began to rebuild that collection by pilfering as much of Max's music that I could recognize by name and title. I was joined by Adam Winer, who was similarly coming to load up before he takes off to be a big city reporter in Lexington Kentucky. Alex Keiper and Brad Livermore were along for the ride as well.

But the focus was on the music.

Let the games begin!

Here is the list of albums I walked away with tonight:

• A.C. Newman - Get Guilty
• A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder
• ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - Madonna
• ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - Source Tags & Codes
• The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
• Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll
• Ash - Free All Angels
• Ash - 1977
• Belle & Sebastian - The Boy with the Arab Strap
• Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
• Belle & Sebastian - Push Barman to Open Old Wounds
• Belle & Sebastian - Tigermilk
• Billy Corgan - Stigmata
• Billy Corgan - TheFutureEmbrace
• Bloc Party - Intimacy
• Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
• Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City
• The Buzzcocks - Another Music in a Different Kitchen
• The Buzzcocks - A Different Kind of Tension
• The Buzzcocks - Love Bites
• The Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady
• Cake - Comfort Eagle
• Cake - Fashion Nugget
• Cake - Motorcade of Generosity
• Cake - Prolonging the Magic
• Cake - Showroom of Compassion
• The Cure - Boys Don't Cry
• The Cure - Faith
• The Cure - The Head on the Door
• The Cure - Pornography
• The Cure - Seventeen Seconds
  
• Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys
• Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
• Death Cab for Cutie - The Photo Album
• Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
• Death Cab for Cutie - Something About Airplanes
  
• Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
• Death Cab for Cutie - We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes
• Death From Above 1979 - You're A Woman, I'm A Machine
• The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts
• The Decemberists - 5 Songs
• The Dismemberment Plan - Change
• The Dismemberment Plan - The Dismemberment Plan is Terrified
• The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
• The Dismemberment Plan - !
• Doves - The Last Broadcast
• Doves - Lost Souls
• Doves - The Places Between
• Doves - Some Cities
• Everclear - Sparkle and Fade
• Foo Fighters - Big Me
• Foo Fighters - The Colours and the Shape
• Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters
• Foo Fighters - One by One
• Foo Fighters - There is Nothing Left to Lose
• Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
• Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
• Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
• Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
• Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks
• Fugazi - The Argument
• Fugazi - End Hits
• Fugazi - Furniture
• Fugazi - In On The Kill Taker
• Fugazi - Instrument
• Fugazi - Red Medicine
• Fugazi - Repeater
• Fugazi - Steady Diet of Nothing
• Fugazi - 13 Songs
• Garbage - Garbage
• Garbage - Version 2.0
• Guided By Voices - Alien Lanes
• Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand
• Guided By Voices - Devil Between My Toes
• Guided by Voices - The Door is Much Smaller, You See
• Guided By Voices - Half Smiles of the Decomposed
• Guided By Voices - I Can't Think... Yeah
• Guided By Voices -King Shit and the Golden Boys
• Guided By Voices - Mag Earwhig!
• Guided By Voices - Same Place the Fly Got Smashed
• Guided By Voices - Sandbox
• Guided by Voices - Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia
• Guided By Voices - Up We Go Now
• Guided By Voices - Tall Tale Moon
• Guided By Voices - Under the Bushes Under the Stars
• Guided By Voices - Vampire on Titus
• The Hold Steady - Almost Killed Me
• The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
• The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday
• Hot Hot Heat - Make Up the Breakdown
• Interpol - Antics
• Interpol - Interpol
• Interpol - Our Love to Admire
• Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
• Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
• Justice - Cross
• Metric - Fantasies
• Metric - Live it Out
• Modest Mouse - Build Nothing Out Of Something
• Modest Mouse - Everywhere and his Nasty Parlour Tricks
• Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
• Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West
• Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica
• Mountain Goats - Full Force Gathering
• Mountain Goats - Ghana
• Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
• Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come
• Mountain Goats - Sweden
• Mountain Goats - We Shall All Be Healed
• New Pornographers - Challengers
• New Pornographers - Electric Version
• New Pornographers - Mass Romantic
• New Pornographers - Together
• New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
• The Offspring - Smash
• Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
• Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy Appendix
• Okkervil River - Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See
• Okkervil River - Down the River of Golden Dreams
• Okkervil River - I Am Very Far
• Okkervil River - The Stage Names
• Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
• Pavement - Brighten the Corners
• Pavement - Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
• Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted
• Pavement - Terror Twilight
• Pavement - Wowee Zowee
• Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
• Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
• Pixies - Bossanova
• Pixies - Come on Pilgrim
• Pixies - Complete B Sides
• Pixies - Doolittle
• Pixies - Surfer Rosa
• Pixies - Trompe Le Monde
• POTUSA - POTUSA
• Q And Not U - Different Damage
• Q And Not U - No Kill Beep Beep
• Q And Not U - Power
• R.E.M. - Accelerate
• R.E.M. - Power to the People
• R.E.M. - Dead Letter Office
• R.E.M. - Fables of the Reconstruction
• R.E.M. - Life's Rich Pageant
• R.E.M. - Monster
• R.E.M. - Murmer
• R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi
• R.E.M. - Out of Time
• R.E.M. - Reckoning
• R.E.M. - Up
• The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
• The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
• The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
• Smashing Pumpkins - Adore
• Smashing Pumpkins - Black Sessions
• Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet with Butterfly Wings
• Smashing Pumpkins - Gish
• Smashing Pumpkins - Machina II
• Smashing Pumpkins - MACHINA/The Machine of Gods
• Smashing Pumpkins - Mashed Potatoes
• Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
• Smashing Pumpkins - Pisces Iscariot
• Smashing Pumpkins - Reel Time Sessions
• Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
• Smashing Pumpkins - Thirty-Three
• Smashing Pumpkins - United Center
• Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist
• Smashing Pumpkins - Zero
• Smashing Pumpkins - 1979
• Smashing Pumpkins - 666
• The Smiths - Louder Than Bombs
• The Smiths - Meat is Murder
• The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
• The Smiths - Strangeways, Here we Come
• STP - Purple
• Tears for Fears - The Hurting
• Tears for Fears - The Seeds of Love
• Tears for Fears - Songs From the Big Chair
• Ted Leo - The Brutalist Bricks
• Ted Leo - Hearts of Oak
• Ted Leo -Shake the Sheets
• Ted Leo - The Tyranny of Distance
• The Thermals - Fuckin A
• Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
• Tokyo Police Club - A Lesson in Crime
• Tom Waits - The Heart of Saturday Night
• Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the Diner
• Tom Waits - Small Change
• Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
• Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
• Weezer - Maladroit
• Weezer - Pinkerton
• Weezer - Blue Album
• William Shatner - Has Been
• William Shatner - The Transformed Man

It's a start.

Thank you, Max.

#63. 365 Day Challenge - Day 1: Michael Saltzman

Lindsay Denmark gave me this one -

365 day challenge: do something every day for a year. Some ideas: take a photograph of yourself in the same position (looks really cool in the end!), write in a journal, learn a new vocab word, save a dollar each day, etc.

So I've decided to take a moment every day for the next 365 to showcase and celebrate a different person who I think is pretty awesome, right here.

And leading us off, my dear friend and collaborator - Michael Saltzman.

The beard goes "Roar!"

We could start with the fact that Michael is one of the most talented actors and performers I know - with impeccable comedic timing, emotional depth, commitment, facial control, and a diverse depth of character range that allows me to say without reservation that while some parts may at first seem to suit him better, there is not a role out there Michael Saltzman would not excel at playing and make his own.

Or we could start with the fact that Michael is an amazing collaborator - incredibly smart, with tremendous instincts, kind, and the easiest person to work with I've ever met. We've done six shows together in the last calendar year alone - in every combination from actor/director, to director/producer, actor/producer, to sharing a scene onstage. I think he reigns supreme as my most frequent artistic collaborator and it's because every project with him is made fresh, exciting, and better for it.

But starting there is to ignore the most important component of Michael Saltzman - what a tremendously kind and caring man he is. Mikey is a good human being - loyal, considerate, and friendly. He is the kind of person to put the needs of others ahead of his own. And while he carries those qualities in his art, he even moreso does in his friendships. To know Michael Saltzman is to love him, because he engenders those kind of feelings simply by being who he is. It's been a privilege to watch him grow over the last several years - take more responsibility and ownership over habits standing in his way and accomplish a number of very personally challenging tasks - not always gracefully, but always with charm. And that struggle and success is an inspiration.

I'm beyond excited to have someone of his talent as a Flying V company member.

But most importantly, it's been an honor to have him as a friend.

See you tomorrow.

#65 - The Morning After

Waiter Sean was right. Today, I am a hurting.

Ugh.

#65. Order hot wings with the spiciest sauce at a wing joint. Eat em all.

I was in so much pain and it was all Matthew McConaughey's fault.

Christian and I were hanging out around the apartment, lightly drinking, and coming up with new adventures for the blog (as I'm still only at 225 of 300) when we ended up in a bet about whether Matthew McConaughey, the undisputed master of the shirtless scene, was the Black Rider in Community. I was convinced he was. Christian knew otherwise. $5 was briefly on the table, but the stakes could be higher. Finally it was decided that if I lost, I had to do the first of the 300 that night. If I won, stakes would be decided later.

Turns out it was Josh Holloway from Lost. That's embarrassing.

They both have square jaws.

I lost. Christian won.

Shit was on.

We narrowed the list down to 7 things we could reasonably accomplish at 10:30pm on a Thursday night with no planning. And that brought us to Buffalo Wild Wings for #65.

We met up with Chris Holst and Sarah Davis, and met our waiter (Sean). We explained the situation, the 300 tasks, and that this was the kickoff. Christian decided to join me, despite still spitting blood from what sounded like a brutal dental appointment earlier in the day. We would each take the wing challenge.

Sean the waiter got really into it.

Sean the waiter getting really into it.

Turns out that Thursday is Boneless Thursdays - 5 wing orders for $3. Perfect. Less wings than the usual 6 (I have to finish the order) and $2 cheaper. The hottest wing there is Blazing. I tend to run towards medium. But I had a plan. I immediately made sure they had chocolate milk at the ready (they did), to coat my tongue and counter the acid. Extra blue cheese dipping sauce. My tongue and I were at the ready.

Sean started off by trying to scare the shit out of us by talking about how our lips would burn, our throats would burn, and asking if I had any ulcers. I said I'd find out. Christian remained bad-assedly unimpressed. I become slightly less unimpressed. Sean the waiter then brought us warm up cups of Wild sauce, the penultimate sauce before Blazing, just to get a quick taste test. Christian's was a smiley face. Mine a sad face. It was hot, but bearable. Low level flavor, strong follow through. Really stayed on the tongue.

Then the wings came, lathered in blazing hot glory. I was saddened to find that my chocolate milk, my would be salvation, wasn't even a glass - just a juice box carton.

No time to complain.

It was Wing Time.

A toast to Blazing Glory.

At first, slathered in Blue Cheese and fortified with what little Chocolate Milk I had, it wasn't so bad. But then the aftertaste set in. Not really an aftertaste. More like an after sensation.

Of burning.

Holy crap it was hot.

I acquitted myself well, I think. By wing 4 tears were gently streaming down my face. But they were manly tears, born of fire. And oh, was there fire. Not that immediate fire. Like burning embers in a grill. On my tongue, in my throat, in my stomach. The dull sensation of burning. By the end I was shoveling in blue cheese with every chew, just hoping for the sweet relief of that white creamy salvation, my tiny carton of milk decimated in the middle of wing one.

Christian on the other hand totally rocked it, looking none the worse for wear. Man's mouth is a champ.

This is literally moments before the tears.

Sean brought us an old wing master's remedy that he learned from a small Spanish woman in a bar - lukewarm coffee. It helped, but not nearly enough. My mouth was a burning flame, my throat the throat of a dragon. I was in a LOT of pain.

Then, finally - a giant glass of real chocolate milk.

I downed half of it and IMMEDIATELY felt better.

All wings were vanquished. And while my tummy still has slight aftershocks (I'm taking some tums before I pass out), and my tongue has the slight numbness of a hard fought battle, the first task is done.

A really great night, big thanks to Chris for taking the pictures, Sarah for joining us, and Christian for being my first team up.

One down, 299 to go.