There are times when being both a movie critic and a musician come together, and this is one of those times.

My love for the Greg Mottola’s “Adventureland” (bound for my Top Movies of 2008 list for sure) has manifested itself in a Halloween night rock show. As a tribute to the movie and its awesome soundtrack, The Dead Girls (under the name ADVENTUREBAND) will be performing 13 songs from the movie on Saturday, Oct. 31 at the Replay Lounge in Lawrence.

We’ll be dressed like characters from the movie (I’m more of a “rides” guy myself), and we’ve hand-picked 13 of our favorite 80s tunes (and a couple from the 70s) from the 21 songs that were used in the movie.

And because this is a Scene-Stealers event, we wanna give you cool free stuff!

We will also have a DVD of the movie, some mini-posters, postcards, and CD soundtracks (which were made only as promo items and never sold in stores) to give away during the night.

Here is the Facebook event page.

It’s going to be kind of an insane 80s tribute night since we’ll also be playing with Daryl Hall & John Oates tribute act Haulin’ Oats (which is coincidentally the punchline to one of my favorite Neil Hamburger jokes).

So break out those leg warmers and headbands (or just wear jeans and a flannel like I did then) and head down to the Replay Lounge on Halloween for ADVENTUREBAND, a one-night-only 80s rock extravaganza!

Tags: 1980s, 2009, adventureband, adventureland, halloween, live, soundtrack

Update from Miramax below!!

At least some of the versions of “Adventureland” that are currently in playing in theaters are not the cut that director Greg Mottola thought were out there. Apparently, INXS’s “Don’t Change” is supposed to be on all versions of the film during the closing credits. It’s not. In an exchange earlier this morning that just goes to show the power of Twitter, Mottola called this news “really disturbing.”

I saw the movie on March 5 in Kansas City advance of my coverage of the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, where “Adventureland” was showing later that month. As the movie ended, the familiar strains of “Don’t Change” began and I stayed through the entire credits just to hear this song (which I had kind of forgotten even existed) because it brought back so many memories of high school. I even commented to the publicity crew outside of the theater how much I loved the movie ending with that song.

Fast forward to Tuesday March 31. I saw “Adventureland” again in Kansas City (at the Legends Theater) at the official local advance screening, and was really disappointed to hear that the upbeat INXS song has been replaced by the decidedly more downbeat instrumental Yo La Tengo music from the score. I stayed through the closing credits and noticed that “Don’t Change” was still listed, but it was never heard, even though it also appears on the soundtrack.

After the following opening weekend, a friend of mine saw the film in Lawrence, KS (at the Southwind 12) and said, sure enough, he heard Yo La Lengo as well and no INXS. This past weekend, another friend saw the movie at a different theater than I saw it at in Kansas City (AMC Barrywoods), and said the same thing. Yo La Tengo, but no INXS.

Last night I tweeted @MiramaxFilms:

@MiramaxFilms INXS - Don’t Change was on Adventureland’s credits at advance screening, but not now! Anyone know what happened?

I got the reply through a direct message: “That little gem of info will probably come out in @gregmottola’s DVD commentary :-)”

and replied with this: @MiramaxFilms that makes me sad becuz it means the DVD version won’t have it either, huh? such a great way to end the movie….

Not satisifed, I this morning I tweeted to Greg Mottola. Our conversation, starting with my post to Mottola:

@gregmottola In Feb: INXS. Preview screening on opening week & 3 different KC theaters currently showing it: Yo La Tengo’s mellow score

@SceneStealrEric INXS IS on the theatrical cut … unless they showed the wrong print! what music ended the version you saw?!

@gregmottola In Feb: INXS. Preview screening on opening week & 3 different KC theaters currently showing it: Yo La Tengo’s mellow score

@gregmottola I’ve had all my friends reporting to me after they see it. 1 screen in Lawrence, 2 in KC, plus preview screening: all Yo La

@SceneStealrEric that is really disturbing. I have no idea how that happened … i’m going off to explore. thanks, eric

Five minutes later (presumably after seeing my tweets to Mottola), Miramax replied to me again in another direct message:

“Hi Eric - the INXS version of the song is on the DVD/Blu-Ray and theatrical as @gregmottola mentioned. thx for letting us know re: Yo La”

Fifteen minutes later, Mottola decided to do some investigating for himself. On Twitter. He tweeted this:

Twitterers: did anyone else see a version of Adventureland with instrumental music in the credits instead of INXS? If so, where?

theheroworkshop tweeted this response: @gregmottola I saw an advance screening and don’t remember any INXS. I’m Australian - so usually take note of Aussie music.

Mottola again:@theheroworkshop where did you see the screening?

theheroworkshop’s response: @gregmottola Birmingham, Michigan

A response from another Twitterer yielded the opposite result.

From shivvy, in Florence, KY: @gregmottola Weird! Nope, saw it twice and both times “Don’t Change” blasted through the speakers.

Wow. The power of Twitter. Mottola’s fact-finding mission via Twitter is happening right now.

from moviesponge: @gregmottola -there was no sign of INXS during the credits at the Regal in Brea, CA. BTW, LOVED the movie.

I, for one, am glad to know that the DVD will contain the INXS song, since I thought it was the perfect way to end the movie. I also hope Mottola gets some answers, since the movie’s been out now for two weeks. He can’t be happy.

What about you? Where did you see “Adventureland” and what song was on the closing credits?

Update: It looks like Miramax is taking steps to rectify the problem after diagnosing it. Nicolette Aizenberg from Miramax says: “INXS cue is on all 35mm prints and Digital-Cinema masters. Issue is it was left off DTS, which is a sound format that comes separately on a DVD. So theaters that utilize DTS as their exclusive sound format (small number relative to release) will not have the INXS song until this weekend when replacement discs are sent out.”

Tags: adventureland, controversy, credits, cut, different, don't change, greg, inxs, miramax, mottola, twitter, version

It’s no secret that I absolutely adore “Adventureland,” the new 1987-set comedy from Greg Mottola, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Ryan Reynolds. Check my review here. So I’m really excited to offer our sitegoers the opportunity to win these prizes from the film.

Now the question you need to ask yourself is: “Are a you a ‘games’ person or a ‘rides’ person? We have two T-shirts just like the ones the characters wore in the movie at the rundown amusement park. Both shirts are Large, and we have one of each design.

We also have the best soundtrack in recent memory up for grabs. (See below for tracklisting.) This is really cool because hard copies of this album don’t even exist for its commercial release. The soundtrack is only available as a digital release. What we are giving away are special CD promo copies of the soundtrack, complete with liner notes from director Greg Mottola.

1 Satellite of Love - Lou Reed
2 Modern Love - David Bowie
3 I’m in Love With a Girl - Big Star
4 Just Like Heaven - The Cure
5 Rock Me, Amadeus - Falco
6 Don’t Change - INXS
7 Your Love - The Outfield
8 Don’t Dream It’s Over - Crowded House
9 Looking for a Kiss - New York Dolls
10 Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely - Husker Du
11 Unsatisfied - The Replacements
12 Pale Blue Eyes - The Velvet Underground
13 Farewell Adventureland - Yo La Tengo

All you need to do to win is fill out the form below. We’ll pick two winners at random on Thurs. April 16. Each winner will win a T-shirt and a CD soundtrack!

Open to residents of the U.S. 13+. Good luck!

Tags: adventureland, Awesome, CD, contest, drawing, free, giveaway, soundtracks, sweepstakes, T-shirts, tees

Click here for my Sundance interview with director Greg Mottola.

First things first: Although “Adventureland” is written and directed by Greg Mottola—who directed “Superbad”—it is not the same kind of over-the-top comedy as that movie (which was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg). If you go in expecting “Superbad II,” like most people this weekend will thanks to the film’s marketing campaign, it may take a while to adjust to the movie’s pacing and subtle characterizations. But don’t worry—“Adventureland” is a terrific film all by itself.

There is one comparative line to draw here, however. Mottola’s semi-autobiographical movie feels like what might have happened the year that the “Freaks and Geeks” came home from college. Mottola directed six episodes of Judd Apatow’s TV show “Undeclared,” a college-aged follow-up to the now-classic-but-canceled “Freaks and Geeks.” Like Apatow, he has an uncanny ability to find the natural rhythm of uncomfortable exchanges between emotionally unsure people.

Those moments are at the heart of this touching and seemingly effortless film, which finds James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) spending the summer after college graduation at his parents’ house in a Pittsburgh suburb. “Adventureland” explores the last gasp of James’ old life and the transition to adulthood. (It’s fitting that The Replacements’ ode to aimlessness, “Bastards of Young,” opens the movie.) He’s desperate to grow up, but his progress is stopped in time when he’s forced to work a shitty job at a rundown amusement park.

The year is 1987, presumably because Mottola’s own experiences also coincide with this time period, but the setting also gives the film a simultaneously innocent and nostalgic vibe. The theme park becomes the meeting place for all James’ friends, including romantic interest Em (Kristen Stewart)—also home from college—who has a similar attitude towards the summer job and has lived through her own recent personal tragedy.

Everybody who works at Adventureland is stuck in neutral, from the socially awkward and increasingly bitter Russian literature student Joel (Martin Starr), to Connell (Ryan Reynolds), the married maintenance guy who regularly cheats on his wife. There’s also Lisa P. (Margarita Levieva), the well-endowed trendy girl that all the guys fantasize about, and the married couple (Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig) that run the park from a trailer with a quiet, forced pride.

The hierarchies of high school are always in play. Lisa P. is at the top of the heap, one of the lucky ride operators, while James is pegged as more of a “games guy.” Connell is the older cool guy, having supposedly once “jammed with Lou Reed.” He’s one part Matthew McConaughey from “Dazed and Confused,” while also trying to set himself above the younger employees by referring to them as “kids.” Of course, James looks up to Connell. Reynolds is perfectly cast, playing a sad, older version of some of his past roles. If “Van Wilder” is still around in his early thirties, he’s probably banging high school chicks in his Mom’s basement.

Mottola’s direction is assured and impressively naturalistic for a teen-oriented comedy. He cuts through the cliches and expresses the longing that most movies of this ilk couldn’t find with a compass. He also has a way with his actors, getting subtle performances out of all of them (even the usually ‘bigger’ talents of Saturday Night Live’s Wiig and Hader). Eisenberg (who also starred as an introspective young talker in “The Squid and the Whale”) brings a Woody Allen-type neurotic touch to James, who’s goal of saving his virginity for the right girl isn’t so much a conscious choice as it is an extension of his idealism. Em, on the other hand, is way beyond that, redirecting all her confusion and self-pity from her crappy homelife into a hollow secret relationship.

You can see the conflict in their romance coming a mile away, but that’s not a criticism at all. In a more formulaic movie, that inevitable “blow-up” moment can leave you feeling cheated if the film has done nothing to foreshadow the characters’ actions. In “Adventureland,” you empathize with Jesse and Em even when they make poor choices. It’s a sign of how much they mean to each other that they can’t quite communicate it.

This brings up another great element of Mottola’s script: There are no “bad guys.” There are just three-dimensional people who sometimes do stupid things. This goes for Jesse and Em as much as it does for the characters that draw them apart (who, in turn, also have their sympathetic moments). You’d think he’d have learned more about women in college, but when he’s with Em, James immediately starts talking about how his heart was broken recently in a knee-jerk play for sympathy or maybe a misguided attempt at showing maturity. He’s also kind of a pompous egghead who feels like he has to prattle on about Shakespeare in order to impress. It’s impossible, though, to hate him or anybody else in “Adventureland.”

Although the dialogue is right on for the time period and very funny (As much fun as it was, that’s a kind of realism that can’t be said about “Juno.”), Mottola is also quite adept at letting a lack of dialogue speak loudly as well. In one telling scene, Em gives James a ride home and pops in a cassette. Without saying a word, the two glance at each other, the windows, the stereo, and the floor. The scene is certainly about their mutual attraction and curiosity, but it’s also about status. What’s unspoken is that Em is feeling out James’ musical tastes. As they both try to pretend nothing is going on, James makes his move, reaching for the volume knob to turn it up. A connection is made. (The song is Husker Du’s “Don’t Want to Know if You’re Lonely” and is one of many great tunes on the soundtrack.)

Music plays a big part of “Adventureland.” A key moment of self-confidence and realization for James comes from seeing someone he looked up to getting a song title wrong. A little detail like that calls the person out as a fraud. And while awful 80s one-hit-wonders like “Rock Me Amadeus” play ad nauseum at the park, Mottola doesn’t dress everybody in the movie with outlandish 1980s clothes and use the setting as a crutch for cheap jokes. He’s more interested in getting it right. The movie has its moments of fun with the 80s, but it doesn’t dwell on them.

“Adventureland” captures perfectly that feeling of weightlessness just before impending adulthood. At once a personal and generational film, it also carries a poetic kind of melancholy that’s unique to movies of its kind, save for maybe “Say Anything” or “Dazed and Confused.”

This point loomed heavy in my mind after a second viewing of the movie: When somebody throws up in “Adventureland” (In a movie populated by rollercoasters and drinking, that’s kind of a given), it’s not presented as a big gross-out laugh like it would be in a more obvious comedy. Instead, it’s just something that happens. People throw up. And, like the messiness of life—someone is going to have to clean it up.

Tags: adventureland, Bill, eisenberg, film, greg, hader, jesse, kristen, mottola, movie, positive, rating, rave, review, stewart, wiig

This is the fourth in a series of reports from the SXSW Film/Interactive Festival in Austin, TX. Scene-Stealers hosted the Bacon-Flavored Interactive Afterparty, the Harpoon Happy Hour, and the free SenoReality screening, all of which were held at the coolest bar in town, Red 7. While we were down there, Dustin (our executive producer) and I attended several screenings and did lots of cool interviews with the directors and stars as we could. Enjoy!

Sunday, March 15

Another late night, another early morning. Most of the day was spent putting out fires for everything surrounding the Bacon-Flavored Interactive Afterparty, the Harpoon Happy Hour, and the free SenoReality screening, all held at Red 7. Bacon Shoe was hitting it hard again, performing the last of their “street attacks” to build up hype for the show, which started at 9pm. During the day, I was in and out of the Red 7, which was showing a loop of award-winning short films from Lawrence, KS-based production house SenoReality Pictures. (Here’s a link to a coverstory I wrote about SenoReality, MK12, and the burgeoning Lawrence/KC production scene for Digital Content Producer magazine).

The SenoReality free screening featured nine suspenseful short films, all made in the last three years by this prolific team of filmmakers. Writer/director Patrick Rea and editor/sound mixer Ryan S. Jones (above, at the screening) have quietly built up an impressive resume, including the regional Emmy-winning short “Women’s Intuition.” SenoReality comes from the “less gore, more suspense” mode of storytelling, although one of their funniest and most popular films is a parody of the so-called “torture porn” genre called—appropriately enough—“Torture Porn.” (I’ve embedded the entire movie in two parts below. Again, this is not really suitable for work. But it sure is funny.)

One thing you may be surprised about is the great production value of most of the shorts. When I interviewed the Seno guys for the article, it was obvious that they have an enormous grasp of how to use technology in service of the story. Because they are from Kansas, the team is also able to get way more bang for their buck. “When we go to film festivals, we stick out a little more,” Rea says. “It’s a good thing, especially when they see our production value is slightly better sometimes. They’re like, ‘Wow, you guys are doing that stuff in Kansas?’ and we tell them how much we’re doing it for and people become more interested in shooting in Kansas.”

It was great to see an hour-and-a-half program and be able to see the natural progression in quality and storytelling prowess of the films. SenoReality is currently finishing up another short and raising money for a full-length feature film called “Nail Biter.” Here’s a photo (above left) of the monster from that upcoming flick, as designed by artist Alan Holt.

“Adventureland” also screened at SXSW on Saturday and, although I have seen it, I’m not able to post a full review of it yet due to a review embargo until its nationwide release date on April 3. Let’s just say this: The movie is a great coming-of-age romance set in 1987 that feels as natural as anything I’ve ever seen in this genre. It stars Jessie Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. I did an audio podcast interview with writer/director Greg Mottola (”Superbad,” “The Daytrippers”) back in January for the movie’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, and you can catch that here. Unfortunately, I missed getting a video interview with Mottola and co-star Bill Hader because everything was going crazy around the party and my phone was ringing off the hook. (Or, vibrating in my pants, I guess.) So I had to (gulp!) cancel the interview. Oh, the sacrifices I make.

In the meantime, if you live in Kansas City area and you want to see a funny, accurate, and affecting tale of post-teen/early adult romantic confusion set in the late 80s but not full of obvious cultural touchstones like parachute pants and breakdancers, we are giving away tickets to a screening of “Adventureland” right here. Enter before Wed. March 25 and good luck!

At 6pm, the SenoReality screening morphed into the Harpoon Happy Hour, where our good friends at Harpoon Brewery donated enough kegs of delicious IPA and Hefeweizen beer to power a thirsty crowd for two hours. The $5 cover at the door all went to the Children’s Music Fund. We had a live Twitter feed of anybody who was tweeting about the bacon party, Scene-Stealers, or anything party-related that night. (I remember seeing a photo on Twitter of one girl who won a prize, tweeted about it, waited for it to show up on the big screen, and then took a picture with her phone and teeted that!) We also watched some very cool video content from Boston-based independent online video network Plus1TV.com, who feature Scene-Stealers as one of their online TV channels, as well as other cool channels that specialize in humor, food, and music.

The smell of hot, fresh bacon donated from Internet retail badasses Bacn.com wafted out of the bar from the outside porch and the outside stage area, beckoning—nay, daring—passersby to enter the domain of bacon-flavored madness. Das Foods donated 200 delicious Man Bait maple-bacon lollipops as well, not to mention the all the cool raffle prizes that were generously donated by all of our sponsors. The insanity of Bacon Shoe hit the outside stage sometime after 9pm, and jaws pretty much completely dropped.

Not only do Lethal D and Toine bust out some mad rapping chops, but Mr. Ruggles (a DJ of sorts, wearing a large dog’s head or something to that degree) grills bacon onstage, which is also mic’ed up to give everyone the pleasure of hearing the sizzle as well as smelling it. Bacon Shoe rapped for two solid 40-minute sets, performed some very funny between-song sketches, and helped give away all the cool raffle prizes for the night. I’m also pretty sure Lethal D and Toine got married onstage.

Thanks to everyone involved in the parties for all their hard work and helping to make the night a success! Now here’s the full SenoReality short film “Torture Porn,” as promised:

Next SXSW 2009 entry>> 

Tags: adventureland, bacon party, bacon shoe, film, greg mottola, screening, SenoReality, showcase, SXSW, SXSW 2009

I’m really excited about this one. We have 25 (admit-two) screening passes to see “Adventureland,” directed by Greg Mottola (”Superbad”). The screening is Tuesday, March 31 at 7:30 PM at the Legends 14 (1841 Village West Pkwy). Fill out the form below and we’ll have a drawing Wed. March 25 to randomly pick 25 winners and mail the passes to your home!

Synopsis: It’s the summer of 1987, and James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg), an uptight recent college grad, can’t wait to embark on his dream tour of Europe. But when his parents (Wendie Malick and Jack Gilpin) announce they can no longer subsidize his trip, James has little choice but to take a lowly job at a local amusement park. Forget about German beer, world-famous museums and cute French girls-James’ summer will now be populated by belligerent dads, stuffed pandas, and screaming kids high on cotton candy. Lucky for James, what should have been his worst summer ever turns into quite an adventure as he discovers love in the most unlikely place with his captivating co-worker Em (Kristen Stewart), and learns to loosen up.

Remember, the screenings are always overbooked so get there early. Good luck!

Tags: advance, adventureland, free, kansas city, passes, screening, tickets

Millimeter and Digital Content Producer magazines have provided me with the opportunity to interview prominent directors and profile 10 short films that are appearing this week at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Just in case you missed it, here are all five podcast interviews from the BlogLive@Sundance Film Festival ‘09 that I conducted:

My first interview was with “Superbad” director Greg Mottola. Hear about his new movie “Adventureland” (starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig) and get an exclusive preview of the challenge of creating a CGI character on the new Simon Pegg/Nick Frost movie he’s currently working on called “Paul.” Click here to hear my interview with Greg Mottola.

Robert Siegel (who was recently nominated for a Writer’s Guild Award and used to be the editor-in-chief of The Onion) arrives at this year’s Sundance Film Festival with his directorial debut, “Big Fan,” starring Patton Oswalt, and the movie is in the dramatic film competition. Listen to my interview with Siegel in this exclusive audio podcast and find out why casting was so important on both movies and what he learned about directing from Aronofsky!

If you’ve seen “Northfork” or “Twin Falls Idaho,” then you are familiar with the kind of “heightend reality” that the writing/directing/producing team of Mark and Michael Polish can produce. “Manure” is the third trip to Sundance for the twin brothers, and it stars Billy Bob Thornton, Tea Leoni, Kyle MacLachlan, and Ed Helms. The film was shot completely on soundstages and the production design did their best to keep the entire film in different shades of brown. Listen to my audio interview with “Manure” director Michael Polish.

Former standup comedian John Hindman is heavily influenced by Woody Allen, James L. Brooks, and Sydney Pollack. When it came time to direct his own script for “Arlen Faber,” he turned to a Hollywood veteran who is well-known for tackling tricky roles in independent films. Jeff Daniels joined on as the title character in Hindman’s film early on and that helped the filmmaker gett funding to make the movie, which is competing in the dramatic competetion at Sundance this year. It also co-stars Lauren Graham, Olivia Thirlby, and Kat Dennings. Find out what happens when you quit feeding the crew in my audio podcast with John Hindman.

“Peter and Vandy” was adapted from a 2002 play written by and starring the film’s director, Jay DiPietro. For the movie, DiPietro cast Jason Ritter and Jess Weixler as the title couple and had to expand way beyond the production limitations of a two-character play that took place in one living room. Learn about the challenges of adapting your own play into a feature film in my interview with writer/director Jay DiPietro.

Tags: 2009, adventureland, arlen faber, big fan, director, greg mottola interview, jay di pietro interview, john hindman interview, manure, michael polish interview, peter and vandy, robert siegel interview, Sundance, superbad, the wrestler