#dave mullins

[dweemeister]

Best Animated Short Film Nominees for the 96th Academy Awards (2024, listed in order of appearance in the shorts package)

This blog, since 2013, has been the site of my write-ups to the Oscar-nominated short film packages – a personal tradition for myself and for this blog. This omnibus write-up goes with my thanks to the Regency South Coast Village in Santa Ana, California for providing all three Oscar-nominated short film packages.

If you are an American or Canadian resident interested in supporting the short film filmmakers in theaters (and you should, as very few of those who work in short films are as affluent as your big-name directors and actors), check your local participating theaters here.

Without further ado, here are the nominees for the Best Animated Short Film at this year’s Academy Awards. The write-ups for the Documentary Short and Live Action Short nominees are complete. Films predominantly in a language other than English are listed with their nation(s) of origin.

Yet again, this completes this year’s omnibus write-ups for the Oscar-nominated short films for the upcoming Academy Awards:

Our Uniform (2023, Iran)

Director Yegane Moghaddam used to be a primary school teacher in Iran and often “observed the students… struggling with their uniforms and headscarves all day.” These observations informed her film and narration in Our Uniform, which won Best First Film at Annecy (the largest animation-only film festival, in the French Alpine resort town of the same name) in 2023. Only the fourth ever non-Western/European and non-Japanese nominee in this 92-year-old category – following 2014’s Bear Story (Chile; that year's winner), 2020’s Opera (South Korea) and 2021’s Bestia (Chile) – Our Uniform adopts a unique style never before seen in this category. Instead of traditional cel animation with ink and paper or computers, Moghaddam nearly single-handedly painted images directly on clothing fabrics (pants, jackets, shirts, scarves – all from her personal wardrobe) to illustrate the memories her narration shares. These memories, of attending public school in Iran, invariably intersect with Iran’s theocratic politics. There are references, never pedantic, about government propaganda as part of the school curriculum, and the segregation between boys’ and girls’ education. Most vividly, Moghaddam remarks on the restricting school uniform and compulsory hijabs for girls at school, issues which enflamed protests against such laws beginning in 2017 (and spiking after the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022).

Moghaddam, who cites graphic novelist/director Marjane Satrapi (2007’s Persepolis, 2011’s Chicken with Plums; the former I consider among the finest animated films of this young century) as her primary artistic inspiration, curiously does not contain as much messaging in her film as one might expect. As an Iranian citizen who currently has no plans to officially distribute the film within her home nation due to fear of retribution, how could she? But the film’s slightness cannot distract from its painstaking, loving artistry. Without relying on inventive camerawork, Moghaddam uses the natural pockets and folds of her clothes to suggest dimension and personality. To Moghaddam, all clothing has a personality and personal history to the wearer, even compulsory clothing, all of which she uses to wonderful effect. What originally began as a fun side project that Moghaddam had no expectations for gifts audiences a truly original viewing experience.

My rating: 7.5/10

Letter to a Pig (2022, Israel/France)

Qualifying for the Academy Awards after winning the Grand Prize for Best International Short Film at Anima, the Brussels Animation Film Festival, in early 2023, Nal Kantor’s Letter to a Pig sees a Holocaust survivor retelling a story of survival to a group of largely disinterested and scornful teenagers. As the elderly man recounts how he wrote a letter to a pig that inadvertently saved his life, a handful of students start insensitively snorting. Quietly, Letter to a Pig adopts the standpoint of one of the girls in class, half-listening at first. Here, Kantor seamlessly switches between the man’s memories and the reality of the classroom, through heavy rotoscoping to outline her figures, mixing it with live-action footage for the limbs or eyes, but only using a few ink scribbles to outline facial features and hair. Generally, the more movement either the schoolgirl or Holocaust survivor show, the more scribbles and live-action footage that appear. For all other figures, they remain mostly abstract.

As a young man, the Holocaust survivor recalls how filled with rage he was, long after his near-death encounter. Now, physically unable to exact retribution on those who harmed him, he tells the students “you are my revenge” – passing along his trauma to those not realizing what they have just received. The schoolgirl’s vision in the surrealistic final minutes is her absorption of the Holocaust survivor’s story. This masterfully drawn finale is the emotional apex of Letter to a Pig, fully justifying its black-and-white palette (with one exception: pink for the pigs, considered an impure animal in Judaism) in service for its profound sense of dread. Symbolizing memory, the pig appears throughout the film as a savior, a monster, or something worthy of mockery, depending on who is on screen. It is in these final moments Letter to a Pig leaves the audience with pressing questions. Can one impart painful memories without the trauma that gives such memories form? Most urgently, can we choose not to act on the trauma we inherit? May it be possible not only in dreams.

My rating: 8.5/10

Pachyderme (2022, France)

Stéphanie Clement’s Pachyderme, like Letter to a Pig, is an unsettling short film that delves deeply into the mind of a troubled character. In this film, a young woman named Louise (Christa Théret) recalls her days visiting her grandparents in Provence (southeastern France) during her childhood. The sun-bathed rural landscape is picturesque, the grandparents’ house gorgeously stylized. Beyond this, some of Louise’s recollections feel incomplete, with no apparent structure or chronology. That might read as a criticism, but Clement and screenwriter Marc Rius fully intend for Pachyderme to seem fragmented. The film strongly implies – and some viewers will pick this up earlier or later than others – that the grandfather sexually abused Louise. In reaction, Louise, while recounting her memories for the audience, has repressed her memories and is showing signs, in her narration and in her visual recollections, of disassociation. I do not recall ever seeing disassociation, a common symptom of those who have been sexually abused, portrayed as cinematically as seen in Pachyderme. It is best exemplified, metaphorically, in the scene where our protagonist disappears into the wallpaper (this scene was originally the first bit of test footage made for the film).

But perhaps there is no better visualization of all Pachyderme has to say than the moment where Louise’s grandfather notices her index finger bleeding. He grasps her hand, and his hands dwarf hers. The simultaneity of Pachyderme’s picture book visuals and its horrifying implications show the viewer a woman who has not fully processed what has happened to her. It is not helped by the defensiveness of Louise’s grandmother following the grandfather’s death. Family denial, too, is playing a role in how Louise is choosing, consciously and subconsciously, to remember the past. In its eleven minutes, Pachyderme passes in a dreamlike haze, its illusory moments enabling the viewer to more closely connect to Louise’s (both the young adult narrating the film and the child on-screen) feelings. Unlike many nominees in Best Live Action Short Film down the years that addressed childhood trauma (it's a long-running trend for that category), Pachyderme prioritizes healing in as cinematic a way as possible.

My rating: 8.5/10

Ninety-Five Senses (2023)

If the names Jared and Jerusha Hess are familiar, that is because this husband-and-wife directorial team also made Napoleon Dynamite (2004) and Nacho Libre (2006). Some of those same comedic sensibilities carry over to Ninety-Five Senses, which qualified for the Academy Awards by winning Best Animated Short at the Florida Film Festival in 2023. The film features an old man named Coy (Tim Blake Nelson, a Coen Brothers regular whose voice fits the narrative here) reflecting back on life – a reverie that jumps, hops, and skips across time and place. At first, Ninety-Five Senses, with its wildly shifting style changes, does not seem to have much of a point or purpose. But the film gradually reveals itself: first through the subtle shading of what appear to be prison bars and, later, the mountain of discarded food cartons sitting on the table in front of Coy. We soon realize that Coy is in the final hours or minutes of being on death row, and he is describing to the audience his internal peace before he meets his fate.

Ninety-Five Senses is not here to make a point about capital punishment, incarceration, or the terrible actions that landed Coy in prison. Foremost, this is a film that attempts to capture the last gasp of humanity of an individual before their execution. In contrast with the drab grays whenever Coy is seen in his cell, his flashbacks are intense – a fount of color, with both crude and elegant character designs, hand-drawn and computer-generated (sometimes appearing side-by-side). Not every vignette – of which there are five, one for each human sense – showcases as much aesthetic excellence as the others, such as an early instance where Coy recounts his childhood. That vignette does not evoke the respective human sense it covers as well as it thinks it does; the art style of that vignette also recalls hand-drawn television animation, but flows too smoothly to exactly replicate it. In any case, this is a promising first foray into animated film for the Hesses.

My rating: 8/10

War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko (2022)

War Is Over! (you cannot make me write or say the full title ever again) has the basics of a promising animated short film. Yet its simplistic take on humanity and warfare and close association with John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” condemns the film as pure hogwash. On second thought, I retract “hogwash”. That is an insult to Letter to a Pig and to porcine animals. This is self-congratulatory treacle from director Dave Mullins and co-writer Sean Ono Lennon (the son of John and Yoko). In a supposedly alternate World War I reality, a pigeon delivers messages between an Allied and a Central Power soldier on opposite sides of No Man’s Land. The messages contain chess notation, as they, somehow, began a game of chess with each other without ever meeting. One day, at presumably Christmas, the two armies inexplicably charge toward each other and, amid gunfire and a mass mêlée that should leave many more soldiers dead than shown, our two soldiers encounter each other on the battlefield in combat shorn of its gruesomeness.

Despite the film using the Unreal Engine for its animation, I admire the film’s lighting effects, character movements, pigeon animation, sound effects, and art direction for the otherwise sanitized trenches. That may be all the positives I can offer.

The contrived scenario sinks even further when our two chess-playing soldiers discover a critical message from their pigeon messenger. Cue the second-most embarrassing needle drop among this year’s fifteen short film nominees (somehow, the closing moments of The After are worse than this). Unlike The After, War Is Over! feels as if constructed around its respective song. Is this now a glorified music video? In an instant, the film reduces the tragedy of the Great War to something akin to a soft drink commercial or that “Imagine” video (could we stop disrespecting John Lennon and his fellow Beatles?). The sanitized depiction of war and farfetched resolving actions undercut the film’s message, embarrassing itself as it lurches through its excruciating final minutes. That the first credit in the end credits read “music and message by John and Yoko” rather than director Dave Mullins leaves an even more sour taste. At the heart of War Is Over!, Mullins and Sean Ono Lennon want us to know that war is bad. I never could have guessed!

My rating: 4/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog. Half-points are always rounded down.

From previous years:  85th Academy Awards (2013) 87th (2015) 88th (2016) 89th (2017) 90th (2018) 91st (2019) 92nd (2020) 93rd (2021) 94th (2022) 95th (2023)

Two other films played in this package as honorable mentions: Wild Summon (2023, dir. Karni Arieli and Saul Freed; 6/10) and I'm Hip (2023, dir. John Musker; 6/10).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

[krispyweiss]

“WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko” Gets Oscar Nomination

- Animated short is showing in select theaters in package with other nominees

A 53-year-old song inspired a short film that is now up for a 2024 Oscar.

The animated short is titled “WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko” and based loosely around 1971’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over!).” But this 11-minute film focuses not on the main title, but rather, its parenthetical subtitle.

“This is an anti-war song; it’s a protest song,” writer and director Dave Mullins said in a making-of featurette for the film. “It’s why we didn’t make a Christmas or holiday short - we made an anti-war short.”

There’s no dialogue as “WAR IS OVER!” tells the story of soldiers on opposing sides of a fictionalized battlefield playing a surreptitious game of chess via carrier pigeon as the fighting rages. The filmmakers had trouble finding a place for the title song - executive producer Sean Ono Lennon had no interest in making a traditional music video for such a well-known number - so it runs over the credits. Thomas Newman composed the score, which Mullins said serves “as the emotional voice of the characters.”

Lennon said he wanted to “do good by (his parents’) art” in working on the short.

“What I don’t want,” he later told The New York Times, “is for my mother and father’s work to disappear with the sands of time.”

Not yet streaming, “WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko” is showing in select North American movie houses in package screenings with other Oscar nominees in the Animated Short Film category.

3/2/24

[milliondollarbaby87]

Oscars 2024 - Winners!

Here are the winners at the 96th Academy Awards: Hollywood, CA – March 10: Chirstopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg during the live telecast of the 96th Annual Academy Awards in Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, CA, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) Best PictureOppenheimerEmma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan, Producers Continue…

[randomrichards]

WAR IS OVER: INSPIRED BY THE MUSIC OF JOHN AND YOKO

Carrier pigeon

Sparks chess game between soldiers

From opposing sides

[bob-the-movie-man-film-reviews]

Reviews of the Films in the Oscar Best Animated Short Category 2024

#onemannsmovies #filmreview of the shortlisted films for the #Oscars Animated Short Category.

It’s the Oscars tonight and I’ve been trying to watch all of the Animated Short Films before the awards get given out. Here are my reviews of the films – all but one – that I did get to watch. The nominees: LETTER TO A PIG – Tal Kantor and Amit R. Gicelter NINETY-FIVE SENSES – Jerusha Hess and Jared Hess OUR UNIFORM – Yegane Moghaddam PACHYDERME – Stéphanie Clément and Marc Rius WAR IS…

[geekcavepodcast]

Dark Horse and Yoe Book to Release “Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry”

Dark Horse and Yoe Books are publishing Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry, which tells the story of how, in the 1940s and 50s, a Jewish organization enlisted some of America’s cartoonists on a nationwide campaign against bigotry. The campaign aimed to flood America’s papers, classrooms, and union halls with anti-racist comics and cartoons.

Cartoonists Against Racism is authored by Holocaust scholar Dr. Rafael Medoff and comics and cartooning historian Craig Yoe. Professor Susannah Heschel provides the forwards. Cartoonists featured in the book includes Bill Mauldin, Vaughn Shoemaker, Carl Rose, Mischa Richter, Frank Hanley, Robert Osborn, Dave Berg, Willard Mullin, Bernard Seaman, Mac Raboy, and Eric Godal.

Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry goes on sale in bookstores on November 28, 2023, and in comic shops on November 29, 2023.

(Image  via Dark Horse - Cover of Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry)

[sinceileftyoublog]

Carcass, Municipal Waste, Sacred Reich, & Creeping Death Live Show Review: 4/18, Metro, Chicago

BY JORDAN MAINZER

These days, new Carcass albums--and subsequently, tours and live shows--are rare enough to warrant must-see status. Their 2013 comeback, Surgical Steel, ranked among their best ever albums, and 2021′s Torn Arteries (Nuclear Blast) at the very least stood up to their classic material, a feat considering only two albums ago was the disappointment that was their original Swansong. Immediately into the band’s headlining set Tuesday at Metro, it was apparent they’d chug along and smash in as many songs as possible. His bass pointed to the sky like a scepter, Jeff Walker alternated between icy conjuring and guttural growling, tossing seemingly infinite picks into the crowd, while guitarist Bill Steer was his usual understated, but mighty self. And whether soloing or navigating the band through complex time signatures, drummer Daniel Wilding, the band’s drummer since 2012, propelled new and old songs with ease and force. Carcass’s set was, simply, professional, minimally laden with stage banter, maximally laden with enveloping heaviness.

That Carcass is touring with the party-hard thrashing of Municipal Waste and righteous riffage of Sacred Reich is mildly surprising, given that the bands occupy different subgenres of metal. The latter’s lead singer, Phil Rind, even admitted to not being super familiar with the music of the Liverpool death metal legends, also remarking that the last time Sacred Reich played Metro was in the early 90′s with Obituary, who sang “no words, just growls.” But the clear crossover fandom in the crowd was, if not evidence of the decreasing importance of genre purity, certainly a refreshing reminder that heavy music occupies different moods and states of mind that can take place in the same night, or even at once. Municipal Waste conquered first-track sound troubles to deliver a breakneck set of beer-chugging anthems spanning their entire discography. “Shoutout to security,” declared lead vocalist Tony Foresta as they deal with crowd surfers and broken down boxes thrown on stage during “Breathe Grease”. “This is not a Built to Spill show,” he smirked. Celebrating lead guitarist Nick Poulous’s birthday, the Richmond band built their setlist around chant-heavy material, from “You’re Cut Off” and “Sadistic Magician” to band theme song “Born to Party”. As the crowd chanted back, “Municipal Waste is gonna fuck you up,” it felt like they were paying the highest compliment to the people on stage.

Sacred Reich was, as expected, a bit more politically outspoken, or at least unafraid to expose the earnestness behind their songs. Really, anybody who has heard “The American Way” knows the band’s socially conscious, anti-capitalistic stance; these days, their songs look inward to imagine a better world outward. “Manifest Reality”, from the band’s most recent record Awakening (Metal Blade), which was released in 2019 a full 23 years after its predecessor, is a “be the change you want to see in the world” type of song. “Salvation” is, simply, an ode to music. And Awakening’s title track is proof that you can still sound like a mammoth when being compassionate. Like Municipal Waste, Rind has a sense of humor, too: When he announced that the band almost had a new record done to sparse applause, he joked, “We’re thankful for all 7 of you.” But at the end of the day, every Rind wail, every Wiley Arnett guitar solo and Dave McClain snare hit and Joey Radziwill power chord led up to their performance of “Death Squad”, dedicated to founding member Jason Rainey who died of a heart attack in 2020. Sacred Reich's looking forward as long as they can occasionally reflect on their past.

The band most faithful to the spirit of the night’s headliner was the first band who played given the least amount of time. Dallas death metal group Creeping Death combined nimble lead guitars and rhythms that bounced between stomps and barnburners. Their stage setup was remarkably democratic, roaring vocalist Reese Alavi sandwiched between leg-kicking guitarist Trey Pemberton, guitarist A.J. Ross, III, and bassist Eric “Rico” Mejia, tight in both their playing and synchronized hair spinning. Though they played mostly older material, including the blistering title track to their 2021 EP The Edge of Existence, they thankfully performed “Intestinal Wrap”, the single from their upcoming album Boundless Domain (MNRK Heavy). Alavi’s a dynamic vocalist, to the point where you didn’t even feel the absence of Cannibal Corpse’s George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher from the studio version of the song. Creeping Death was certainly the least known among other bands on the bill who have been at it for decades, but they were anything but green.

[graphicpolicy]

Exclusive Preview: Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry

Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry exclusive preview. Cartoonists Against Racism uncovers the secret campaign to create anti-racist comics and cartoons to flood America's newspapers, classrooms, and union halls #comics

[cephalopodvictorious]

My book just shipped and I'm so excited!

Horrific scenes of anti-Jewish violence in Europe filled the newsreels in American theaters in the 1930s and 1940s. What could be done to make sure it didn’t happen in America? One Jewish organization hit upon a remarkable idea—to enlist some of America’s most beloved cartoonists to wage a war on bigotry. Cartoonists Against Racism uncovers the secret campaign to create anti-racist comics and cartoons to flood America’s newspapers, classrooms, and union halls. Meet the artists and the work that was their ammunition in the battle for America’s soul. The book showcases impactful anti-racism artwork from the era’s preeminent cartoonists, including multiple Pulitzer Prize winners Bill Mauldin and Vaughn Shoemaker; New Yorker cartoonists Carl Rose, Mischa Richter, and Frank Hanley; famed antiwar cartoonist Robert Osborn; Dave Berg of Mad magazine; renowned sports cartoonist Willard Mullin; noted labor cartoonist Bernard Seaman; comics artist Mac Raboy (Flash Gordon, Captain Marvel Jr.); and Eric Godal, who escaped from Nazi Germany and became a leading cartoonist in the American press and acclaimed artist Dick Dorgan.

I'll let you all know how it is

[the-monkey-ruler]

The Gua Sha Treatment (2001) 刮痧

Director: Zheng Xiaolong Screenwriter: Mark Byers / Wang Xiaoping / Huo Bingquan / Xue Jiahua Starring: Tony Leung Ka Fai / Jiang Wenli / Zhu Xu / Hollis Houston / Tamara Turnt / Stephanie Vogt / Joe Erke / Carter Dawson / Anthony Mullin / Marshall Fehr / Susan Fry / Mike Ketcher / Joe May / Sonny Wu / Dave Schutz Genre: Drama / Family Country/Region of Production: Mainland China Language: English/Mandarin Chinese Date: 2001-05 (Cannes Film Festival) Duration: 100 minutes Also known as: Gua Sha IMDb: tt0297928 Type: Appropriation

Summary:

Grandfather Xu (Zhu Xu) comes from China to visit the family of his son, Datong Xu (Tony Leung), a video game designer, in St. Louis. Datong has lived in the U.S. for eight years, and while receiving an award for work, remarks that he loves the United States and fulfilling his American Dream. Meanwhile, Grandfather notices his grandson has a slight fever and being unable to read English labels of medicine, gives him, Dennis Xu (Dennis Zhu), a Gua Sha treatment instead. Social workers, however, mistake the traditional Chinese medical treatment for child abuse due to the obvious marks left on Dennis' back. The life of the family is sent into turmoil when Dennis is taken away by the child protection agency. In court, the prosecution includes Datong's inclusion of a Chinese legendary character Sun Wukong (Chinese traditional: 孫悟空; simplified: 孙悟空) in his design of a violent video game. The prosecution implies that since Datong includes violence in his game, he values it.

A furious Datong insists that the prosecution does not understand the cultural value of Sun Wukong and that the icon's inclusion does not mean he abuses his son. He insists that what he does in his job does not relate to how he runs his home. Meanwhile, Grandfather Xu leaves America because he finds that the living environment is really not suitable for him, as he does not want to live in a place where a simple, harmless treatment like Gua Sha, which is so common in China, is treated as child abuse. Furthermore, he cannot converse in English. Datong's friend and lawyer, John Quinlan (Hollis Houston), tries Gua Sha and proves that the treatment leaves painful-looking marks that are not actually painful or harmful at all. Finally, Datong is able to return home and the family is reunited. This movie's story is meant to demonstrate the difference between western and Chinese culture.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gua_Sha_Treatment

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC6i9uXZ0Bs

[greensparty]

My Concert History: Foo Fighters UPDATED

Periodically I do a rundown of my concert history of seeing a particular artist. In 2018, I did my concert history of Foo Fighters, but since then I actually need to update the list. Timing couldn't be better with their show at Fenway Park tomorrow, which I'll be at...and have to update this list again! Here now is the update concert history since that 2018 history was published:

- WBCN River Rave 6/8/1997 @ Great Woods (Mansfield, MA)

I didn’t catch any of Foo Fighters’ shows in 1995-96, but I wasn’t going to miss out when The Colour and the Shape was released. Taylor Hawkins had just joined the band, and it was a few months before Pat Smear left the band. The WBCN River Rave also featured Matthew Sweet, Morphine, Fiona Apple, Porno for Pyros, Primus, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Moby just to name a few. Their set was mostly the songs off the first 2 albums. One of the highlights of the festival!

- HMV Records 11/1/1999 @ HMV (New York, NY)

Me meeting Dave Grohl at their HMV in-store

Chris Shiflett had just joined the band. When There is Nothing Left to Lose was released, they did promotional blitz in NYC that included an in-store appearance at HMV. My ex-GF and I traveled down from MA to NYC for this. The band performed for about 40 min. mostly off the new album. Then the band signed copies of the new album and I got to meet them (read all about it here).

- WBCN Xmas Rave 12/1/1999 @ Orpheum Theater (Boston, MA)

Only a month after I got to meet the band, I saw them at the WBCN Xmas Rave, which also featured At the Drive-In and Ben Harper. They played about 13 songs, mostly hits and new album. Great show!

- 4/2/2000 @ Mullins Center (Amherst, MA)

They co-headlined a tour with Red Hot Chili Peppers (my first time seeing RHCP) with opening act Muse. Drove out to UMass Amherst to see this show. It was really cool to see the Foo Fighters in a much bigger venue, a preview of some of the arenas I’d see them in later. RHCP drummer Chad Smith came out and joined them on a second drum kit for “My Hero”.

- 7/3/2003 @ Hammerstein Ballroom (New York, NY)

Even though the band in retrospect isn’t a fan of their 2002 album One By One, its one of my favorites. Promoting the album, the band played 2 shows at Hammerstein with openers My Morning Jacket and Pete Yorn. They did quite a bit of the One By One album and during “Everlong”, a fan apparently proposed during that song!?! 

- Fuse TV Special 6/14/2005 @ Fuse TV studios (New York, NY)

Technically this is not a concert I saw, but I’ll explain why it made the list. I was working at the music video cable TV channel Fuse in 2005 just as the double album In Your Honor had been released. The band was doing a promotional blitz in NYC and stopped by Fuse to do a live performance 7th Avenue Drop show. I tried to go down to see them, but even as an employee and knowing so many people, I wasn’t able to go to the studio due to the capacity limit. But my friend who was working there, managed to get Dave Grohl’s guitar pick for me! Hence it being listed here even though it wasn't an official show I saw.

- 10/14/2005 @ Continental Airlines Arena (Rutherford, NJ)

My girlfriend (who became my wife) and two friends made the trek to NJ to see this co-headlining tour with Weezer and opening act Hot Hot Heat. This was a fantastic show, but the big highlight of the night was when they brought out special guest Roger Taylor of Queen, who played drums on the cover of “Tie Your Mother Down”, which Taylor Hawkins sang on. So much for “Never Meet Your Idols”! 

- 8/21/2006 @ Beacon Theater (New York, NY)

In 2006 they went on an intimate acoustic tour of theaters. I went to the Beacon Theater show with Frank Black (of The Pixies) opening. Further musicians they brought on this tour included Rami Jaffee (who became an official member in 2017), Petra Haden, Drew Hester and returning Foo Fighter Pat Smear, who officially returned as a member in 2010. It was almost like an episode of Storytellers as Dave Grohl talked about some of the songs and their meaning. Very special show!

- 2/19/2008 @ Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)

After the release of Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, the band began playing much larger venues. At this MSG show, Serj Tankian (of System of a Down) and Against Me! opened. Some of the additional musicians who played the 2006 acoustic tour came out for an acoustic section of the show that included the very first Triangle solo in MSG history from their percussionist. 

- 11/13/2011 @ Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)

By the time of 2011′s album Wasting Light, Pat Smear was back as an official band member. For their NYC show at MSG, the openers were The Joy Formidable and Social Distortion. They brought out a few special guests: Bob Mould of Husker Du played on “Dear Rosemary” and “Breakdown” (the Tom Petty song); and Joan Jett came out and did her song “Bad Reputation” with the band. The band also did Pink Floyd’s “In the Flesh”.

- 7/19/2015 @ Fenway Park (Boston, MA)

Obligatory concert selfie of me and my friend Tim with Foo Fighters behind us!

After the 2014 album and HBO series Sonic Highways, I hoped Boston would be an upcoming episode / recording. While on tour to promote the album, just a few weeks earlier, Dave Grohl broke his leg onstage, so for the remainder of the tour he performed on a throne. Even if he was sitting the whole time, it was one hell of a show (read my concert review here). Openers were Royal Blood and Dropkick Murphys. Highlights of the show included Grohl’s surgeon Dr. Lew Schon, who came out and sang The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” with the band; a brief cover of The Cars’ “Let’s Go”; a cover of Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure”, and Godsmack’s Sully Erna joining for Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out”. 

7/21/2018 @ Fenway Park (Boston, MA)

my friend Ron, Wally the Green Monster and me at Fenway Park

Taylor Hawkins onstage with Foo Fighters

My second time seeing them at Fenway Park, but this show was very special because I won a contest and got tickets to the show and got to stay at the nearby Verb Hotel and also earlier in the weekend I got to see Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett doing a solo show at City Winery. I wish I could have this experience more often to get to see a musician in a small intimate setting and then see them rock out in a stadium with a band (read my concert review here). My buddy Ron came up and we had a great time! Openers included Boston's The Monsieurs (who I interviewed earlier in the month) and UK's The Struts. Highlights of this show included a cover of Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure" with Taylor Hawkins singing along with The Struts singer Luke Spiller, the band doing a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" musically while singing Van Halen's "Jump" along with producer Greg Kurstin on piano, and Grohl's daughter Violet (12 at the time) on back-up vocals. Looking back it was one of the best Taylor Hawkins' performances as he also did a drum solo.

Boston Calling 5/23/2023 @ Harvard Athletic Complex (Boston, MA)

Foo Fighters on stage

me in my happy place: watching Foo Fighters

I attended Day of the 2023 Boston Calling festival (read my review here). Foo Fighters' headlined that night of the festival. This was a little over a year after the passing of Taylor Hawkins and only a week after they announced new drummer Josh Freese. Much of this show was about the band breaking in Josh but remembering Taylor. They paid tribute to Taylor with Dave singing “Cold Day in the Sun” (which Taylor sang) and to my surprise they performed “Aurora” because it was Taylor’s favorite Foo Fighter song (I haven’t seen them do that song live since 2003). For “Shame, Shame”, Dave introduced his 17 year-old daughter Violet. The highlight of the night (that got national attention from numerous news and music outlets) was Taylor’s 17 year-old son Shane guest drumming on “This is a Call”. 

Me just hanging out with Mr. Chris Shiflett in 2018

In addition to all of these shows I recounted, I also saw Dave Grohl with Them Crooked Vultures in 2009, Taylor Hawkins with the Coattail Riders in 2006 and 2010, and Chris Shiflett in 2018.

After I see tomorrow's show I'll have to update this concert history!

[forensicated]

01x10 - Death Of A Cracksman

Taffy updates a mother that they've found her son who is causing havoc in the front office. Everyone is steering clear! Except June who gets lumbered! She's going to be at least another half an hour whilst she gets someone else to look after the other children.

Alfie Mullins, an elderly prisoner on home leave hasn't yet returned to the prison. The senior prison officer tells the other to contact his local nick - Sun Hill - and mark it 'Prison Escapee' to get them to track him down and teach him a lesson. Taffy passes the notification over to Bob who recognises the name. Alfie is not dangerous and is in prison as he is an expert safe breaker. Bob is fuming that they've made a gentle man out to be dangerous and say he has escaped when really he's on rehabilitation leave from prison and has simply failed to return. Bob says he knows Alfie and he'll be back in prison the next morning under his own steam. He passes Tom the printout. He also scoffs at Alfie being marked down as 'dangerous, approach with caution.' "You don't get them like Alfie anymore, more's the pity!"

Bob heads out to try and find him with Taffy and finds that someone has stolen his helmet! He goes through the lockers to find another. One is too big, "Probably Dave Litten's." (I wish they'd done one that was too small here like Goldilocks!) and finally he finds one that fits, pilfering it. On the beat he gives Taffy a history lesson in Alfie - he was a real gentleman who took pride in his work, cleaned up after himself, always pleaded guilty and played by the book. He found himself too old by the time he started to get day release on this final stretch and couldn't adjust to it or find his feet and was back at the prison pleading to be let back in by 6pm. Now he only comes home because they literally chuck him out the prison and his wife demands it! Eileen Mullins, Alfie's wife, says he returned to the prison that morning. Alfie can be seen hiding - not very well as his feet are poking out, his cigarettes are on the table with his paper and his wife is cooking his breakfast. Bob smiles and plays along, telling 'Eileen' to tell Alfie 'if she sees him' that he has to return to the prison by 6am the next morning. He further teases them by saying they're showing Alfie's favourite film in the next week at the prison and he wouldn't want to miss that. "You know what? Alfie's bacon's burning." "See what you made me do!" Eileen protests. "Alright you two, out!"

In the pub, a group of three friends are talking about a 'job' that night at a factory that one of them used to work at and they talk about what tools they'll need to take with them, agreeing to meet at half 8 down the pub. The one who used to work at the factory promises that there won't be an alarm.

Bob rings the prison and guarantees Alfie will be back with them by 6am the next morning. Our favourite boys in blue don't have much luck with their cars as it's now Bob's turn for his to refuse to start. Roy arrives, pulling into the carpark behind him he tries to sneak in without being spotted, carrying his best bib and tucker under his arm in a suitbox. Bob catches him and tells him to enjoy the boxing that night and not to sit too close to the ring because he wouldn't want to get blood on his best shirt. Roy changes and appears in the front office with Tom doing a double take at the sight of Roy in a tux.

He tells Tom where he'll be if anything serious comes in. For everything else, Ted and Mike should be around working late. If his wife rings, they should tell her that he's out on a job. He finally asks Tom if his bowtie is right and asks him to sort it out for him.

The three burglars break into the factory via a toilet window. At the same time, Alfie is being told off by his wife for not doing jobs around the house and for sitting on his bum watching TV all day.

The factory boys turn the light on once the blinds are drawn and find a cupboard padlocked. "This is gonna be a doddle boys." one says before they break in and find half a bottle of gin, a bottle of scotch and just £4. They argue about the job, especially as they were promised at least £50 each by the former employee. Eventually they find an old safe but are unable to open it and start to argue again. As the camera pulls back, the key to the safe is seen up on a higher shelf. They suggest removing it from the building using an old trolley where they can then work on it in their own time.

There's a silent burglar alarm sounding at the factory, but the police haven't been able to get hold of the key holders so send Dave. He has a look around and finds it secure so returns and takes over the comms desk. Alec is very happy that Dave is not usually on his relief as he could see them having "a very unhappy relationship" because he is too early to cover for the desk operator and too slow to answer the phone.

The three burglars discuss when will be the best time to remove the safe and one remembers that Alfie Mullins is at home on prison leave. The other two have no idea who he is so he explains that he's a famous safecracker from the 60's and 70's.

Roy keeps checking in on the station when the boxing finishes early. He passes on a new number of where he is - an all-night pool hall - just in case anything does come in.

Come the morning, the boys are seen wheeling the trolley out of the warehouse as the milkman delivers nearby. Cutting to the estate, Alfie leaves the house and kisses his wife goodbye. The man who mentioned Alfie spots him returning to prison and follows him, asking him to come and help them open the safe. Alfie isn't interested, even when offered a £25K cut despite the burglars not knowing what is inside. He grabs Alfie and asks if he and his friends aren't good enough. Alfie struggles with him and falls back against a small stone wall, banging his head in the process. The man stands over him and tells him not to mess about as Alfie gasps his last breaths. Realising what's happened, the lad makes a break for it, running away as fast as he can and almost barging into a man with a bike as he does.

Bob receives a telephone call at home to tell him that Alfie has been found dead in the street. Bob is shocked and heads straight to the scene. Roy also heads direct to the same location from the pool hall and Mike (and his very fetching pink jumper) and Ted are called in early to man CID. Ted sends Mike to the scene to help Bob and Mike and sets up an incident room.

The boys can't open the safe at a nearby lock-up despite going at it with a chisel and their friend hasn't returned. They suspect he's still trying to locate Alfie. They then attempt to use a drill and it breaks the bit. Later they suspect their friend has disappeared "with the £4 from the office burning a hole in his pocket". The 'burning' gives the eldest man an idea and he suggests using his friend's past as a trainee welder to try and break into the safe.

With the incident room filling up, Roy, Mike and Bob return to the station to update everyone on what they know. Roy explains to the gathered officers that the only accepted excuses will be deaths and births as there's no time off until the case is cracked. They will give each officer a job to do and 12 hours to do it before they will meet back at 7pm to discuss what they've found out.

Part 2 ends with the young lad hiding behind a wall with his head in his hands which suggests he's been there since it happened.

As far as the police have been able to put together, Alfie left home at 5am to catch the early morning bus back to prison. His route was through a well-known shortcut beside a graveyard. The first witness who lives around the corner from the graveyard was woken by a man shouting at Alfie. Marks found on the pavement suggested he was followed and they had a struggle and then he fell backward hitting his head on a parapet. The assailant ran away through the graveyard where he came face to face with a night watchman. The watchman then went on to find Alfie minutes later. Unfortunately, he is as blind as a bat and was unable to give a description of the man - not even his colour or age.

A detective asks if it could be accidental but Roy is adamant that it's murder until proven otherwise. Roy has been totting up Alfie's cut of his past jobs that he never got paid for and it comes to approx £80K He suspects someone believed Alfie either had that money or that he knew where it was stashed and assaulted him in an attempt to get it.

Bob hangs back to speak to Roy and tells him he's completely wrong about Alfie because he does not have a penny and his wife is claiming social security. Roy suggests Bob should have done his job the day before and then Alfie would still be around.

One of the burglars tries to use a blow torch that they've stolen from another one of the other lock-ups but it burns out and they're unable to use it to get in the safe. The missing lad finally turns out and pretends he fell asleep drunk on a bench. He drinks from the gin bottle before he chokes out that Alfie couldn't spare the time to help them so he slapped him about a bit and suspects he went too heavy.

As Station Officer, Bob takes his mood out on the Uniform staff over their poorly written and misspelled statements and for not filing things properly. He goes back over the silent alarm from last night again and assigns it to Taffy who complains that it's not even his beat. Bob could not care less and orders him to follow it up. Taffy gently tells him that he's very sorry about Alfie and Bob thanks him.

The manager of the factory tells Taffy that the safe that was stolen was unused other than perhaps containing a few old papers and it had been moved into the cupboard to make room. They'd actually had a new safe installed not that long ago in the floor in accounts. Taffy says he'll call for the fingerprint people to come and the manager tells him he's not bothered about the safe but he would like the trolley back and to concentrate on that. Taffy says he'll have to add it into the report but he'll concentrate his inquiries on the trolley.

Taffy leaves and gets stopped by a man who has had his lock-up broken into and his welding gear stolen. Taffy asks him where the lock-up is and it's just around the corner from the factory.

Roy tells Ted that he's going to speak to Alfie's wife and asks him to tell the superintendent that he's arranged Alfie's PM for midday and that if he wants to speak to him he'll see him there. The child that had gone missing the day before has been 'found' again in the station - complaining to Roy that he "hasn't got [his] helmet on!"

"Can't you get rid of that kid? We're running a murder inquiry, not a bleeding daycare!"

Taffy takes Jimmy home to his mother who doesn't seem all that bothered about him having been missing. "We were thinking of adopting him, Mrs Draper until my Sgt worked out we couldn't afford to keep him in chocolate." She offers him a cup of tea and he accepts, having a look round the garden. Opposite he spots men creeping out of a lock-up and spots the trolley that was stolen. He asks Mrs Draper if she knows who owns the lock up. She says no but they had kept her up all night banging and drilling. Taffy uses her phone to ring Roy and update him about the missing equipment and the lads that were seen leaving another lock up alongside what Mrs Draper said.

Roy tells him to stay put and not to do anything or let them see him and that he's on the way. "I hate to admit it, but I might owe you an apology..." Roy tells Bob as they head over, suspecting that it sounds like a job that someone would have tried to get Alfie involved in... if he was still alive.

Sun Hill hide in another lock-up and wait for the suspects to return which they soon do, carrying old mattresses. They give them a moment to get inside and shut the door before Roy signals to the cars and officers to move into place. He then gives the nod and they run towards the lock-up, taking the suspects by surprise and wrestle them outside. Looking further inside they find a bomb set to blow the safe open. Roy quickly tells Mike to warn the officers not to use their radios - as he leaves the safe to do so, Jim answers a call...

The bomb explodes, leaving a trail of smoke, feathers and a very unimpressed Roy...

"What bloody idiot did that?"

[animesickos]

The Anime Sickos present: Sicko Shock 2 - A Miniseries in Six Episodes.

EPISODE 5: TOR CLIENT

In the year 42069, humanity survives in the last livable place on Earth: the domed cyberpunk dystopia Sicko City. In Sicko City, all citizens are required to jack in to cyberspace every day to view and engage with content generated by “Posters,” mega-celebrities who live like gods. But beneath its shimmering surface, five forgotten people are about to make history...

Tor Client is a shaper. On their pirate streams, Tor evangelizes the revolutionary potential of the Internet. But how much transfiguring freedom is there on a platform that exists solely for state-mandated Posting? It’d take some kind of divine revelation for Tor to fully understand the potential of their ideology...

STARRING Lexi Conwell as Tor Client Dave Le as Force Recheck Carlos Rivera as Password Reset Diana Helen Kennedy as IRC Client Mike Paine as Public Address System Voice Dylan Mullins as Jordi

Additional voices by Paul Starr, Kevin Johnson, Chuck Rios, Devon Price, Tom McHenry, Alex Borkowski, Terence Wiggins, Zach Caton, KC Green, Rachel Callagher, Taylor Moore, James Medley, Mike Hasier, MinvoskyArticle, Chris Hutton, Zac Gorman, Marquez, Angela Quinton, Andrew Piechota, Eddie Feeley, Aleks M, Molly Starr, and Codex Melcher.

Episode 5 art is by Evan Dahm.

Sicko Shock 2 is recorded where possible by Geramie Causley at Mystery Street Studios in Chicago Illinois.

Audio editing is by Eric Garneau.

Special thanks to Chelsea Harfoush, Aleks M, Tom and Sara McHenry, and Adam Goron.

Sicko Shock 2 was made possible by support from our Patrons. You can support Anime Sickos at patreon.com/animesickos

Sicko Shock 2 is written and directed by Tom Harrison.

[tallymark123]

Team USA's 2023 World Baseball Classic Roster

Players:

(C) J.T. Realmuto - Philadelphia Phillies

(C) Will Smith - Los Angeles Dodgers

(1B) Pete Alonso - New York Mets

(1B) Paul Goldschmidt - St. Louis Cardinals

(2B) Trevor Story - Boston Red Socks

(3B) Nolan Arenado - St. Louis Cardinals

(3B) Bobby Witt Jr. - Kansas City Royals

(SS) Tim Anderson - Chicago White Sox

(OF) Mookie Betts - Los Angeles Dodgers

(OF) Bryce Harper - Philadelphia Phillies

(OF) Cedric Mullins - Baltimore Orioles

(OF) Mike Trout - Los Angeles Angels

(OF) Kyle Tucker - Houston Astros

(SP) Merrill Kelly - Arizona Diamondbacks

(RP) David Bednar - Pittsburgh Pirates

(RP) Dillon Tate - Baltimore Orioles

(RP) Devin Williams - Milwaukee Brewers

Management/Coaching Staff:

Manager: Mark DeRosa

Batting Coach: Ken Griffey Jr.

Pitching Coach: Andy Pettitte

Bench Coach: Jerry Manuel

1B Coach: Lou Collier

3B Coach: Dino Ebel

Bullpen Coach: Dave Righetti

[goalhofer]

2023 World Baseball Classic U.S.A. Roster

Pitchers

#0 Adam Ottavino (New York Mets/Brooklyn, New York)

#21 Kyle Freeland (Colorado Rockies/Denver, Colorado)

#29 Kenneth Kelly (Arizona Diamondbacks/Scottsdale, Arizona)

#33 Michael Lynn (Chicago White Sox/Brownsburg, Indiana)

#38 Devin Williams (Milwaukee Brewers/Florissant, Missouri)

#39 Miles Mikolas (St. Louis Cardinals/Jupiter, Florida)

#43 Brooks Raley (New York Mets/Uvalde, Texas)

#47 Jason Adam (Tampa Bay Rays/Overland Park, Kansas)

#49 Kendall Graveman (Chicago White Sox/Alexander City, Alabama)

#50 Adam Wainwright (St. Louis Cardinals/St. Simons, Georgia)

#51 Brady Singer (Kansas City Royals/Tavares, Florida)

#52 Daniel Bard (Colorado Rockies/Greenville, South Carolina)

#53 David Bednar (Pittsburgh Pirates/Mars, Pennsylvania)

#55 Thomas Pressly (Houston Astros/Irving, Texas)

Catchers

#10 J.T. Realmuto (Philadelphia Phillies/Del City, Oklahoma)

#16 Will Smith (Los Angeles Dodgers/Louisville, Kentucky)

#66 Kyle Higashioka (New York Yankees/Huntington Beach, California)

Infielders

#1 Jeff McNeil (New York Mets/San Luis Obispo County, California)

#7 Tim Anderson; Jr. (Chicago White Sox/Tuscaloosa, Alabama)

#8 Trea Turner (Philadelphia Phillies/Lake Worth Beach, Florida)

#15 Bobby Witt; Jr. (Kansas City Royals/Colleyville, Texas)

#20 Pete Alonso; Jr. (New York Mets/Tampa, Florida)

#28 Nolan Arenado (St. Louis Cardinals/Lake Forest, California)

#46 Paul Goldschmidt (St. Louis Cardinals/Wilmington, Delaware)

Outfielders

#3 Markus Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers/Oak Hill, Tennessee)

#12 Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia Phillies/Middletown, Ohio)

#27 Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels/Millville, New Jersey)

#30 Kyle Tucker (Houston Astros/Tampa, Florida)

#31 Boyce Mullins II (Baltimore Orioles/Snellville, Georgia)

Coaches

Manager Mark DeRosa (U.S.A. Baseball/Carlstadt, New Jersey)

Bench coach Jerry Manuel (Jessup University Warriors/Rancho Cordova, CA)

Assistant bench coach Brian McCann (U.S.A. Baseball/Duluth, Georgia)

Pitching coach Andy Pettitte (U.S.A. Baseball/Houston, Texas)

Bullpen coach Dave Righetti (San Francisco Giants/San José, California)

Hitting coach George Griffey; Jr. (U.S.A. Baseball/Winter Garden, Florida)

1st base coach Lou Collier (Kansas City Royals/Chicago, Illinois)

3rd base coach Dino Ebel (Los Angeles Dodgers/Barstow, California)