Directed by the husband-and-wife team of ‘American Splendor,’ Robert Pulcini and Sharin Springer Berman adapted ‘The Extra Man,’ from Jonathan Ames’ novel.

Louis (Paul Dano) is summarily dismissed from his job as a teacher following an awkward incident involving women’s lingerie in the teachers lounge. In an effort to find himself, Louis moves to New York City, in hopes of becoming a full-fleged writer. Louis is fascinated with a long gone era, a period outlined in books like ‘Great Gatsby,’ and ‘Washington Square.’

He answers a listing for a room and meets Henry (Kevin Kline), a strange, eccentric writer who lives his life quite peculiarly. His apartment is quite the sight, antique furniture coupled with lawn chars, and bowls filled with christmas ornaments. But, fascinated by Henry, Louis agrees to move in. Henry is quick to begin to teach Louis how to have a glorious social life in New York, by becoming the ‘extra man’ to aging billionaire widows.

The hilarious fact is, despite is age and the way he presents himself, Henry is no more high society then Louis. Henry doesn’t see himself for what he is, a very skillful moocher. Using these older women for fine dinners, parties, and rooms in their Palm Beach summer homes.

The plot thickens, when Louis realizes that he fantasizes about two very different lives, a member of high society, and dressing like a woman. He also has a crush on his coworker Mary (Katie Holmes), but, his shy awkwardness prevents this from going anywhere.

The film could have very easily been pretentious and annoying, but the humor and characters are so self-depricating you can’t help but laugh. The film is filled with hilarious moments, and Kline fills the shoes of Henry so well, you almost forget he’s acting. As I mentioned earlier about Henry’s apartment, the films production design, as well as their wardrobe fit the characters flawlessly.

The film also has John C. Reilly as a strange neighbor with a curious voice (you have to see it, I’d hate to ruin that), and he steals the scenes he’s in. Holmes, plays her part of the dizzy uninterested girl extremely well. But at the end of the day, this is Kline and Dano’s movie, and they own it well.

‘Extra Man,’ is a smart and funny film, and I think the directing hands of Berman and Pulcini combined with the skill, presence, and comic timing of Kevin Kline make this a film you should check out.

The Tribeca Film Festival starts April 22nd and runs through May 3.

The album at times echoes a heavier more energetic Postal Service, with lyrics speaking directly to the urban dweller working the daily grind. I’m a huge fan of albums that tell stories, with this one starting at the beginning of the day with the alarm clock ringing in another work day, through the daily 9-5, going out on the town, and ending on the way home in the early morning hours.

It’s pop electronic beat pulls you right in with the title track, “Alarm Clock, Snooze Bar, Get Up,” with a dynamic mix of of synths, Thompson’s heavy beat, and Lee’s heart-fluttering backup vocals, you won’t be able to shake this song for days. “Okay Lover,” is a total radio hit waiting to happen, with lyrics of listening to Bob Dylan, and DJing in your underwear, the beat is amazingly infectious.

In a sentence, its very easy to see folks rocking out to Blip Blip Bleep on Lower East Side dance floors this Spring and Summer. I’m anticipating an excellent full release from these guys, hopefully this EP will see lots of success, and I’d be willing to be their live show is as high energy as their album.

Check out this behind the scenes of the recording of their new album:

Today, thebadandugly.com had some exclusive pics from set, shooting in Tompkin’s Square Park in Manhattan.

Enjoy.

Having lost many films to Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, New York legislation is looking to increase their tax credit to 30% from 10%. Combined with the additional 5% offered for filming in New York City, filmmakers can see a 35% credit to their productions.

The proposed bill has been approved in the state legislature, and only needs the approval of new Governor David Paterson.

We are all familiar with the buzz that’s been flying around for this movie, the big question is, does it live up to the hype?

Before I begin my review, I have to make some observations about how what we know as entertainment is changing. We live in an age where a 12 year old with a DV camera can make an entire movie and post it on Youtube. Things that have been prevalent since the early days of film making (like tripods) are now a thing of the past.

Daily there are thousands of clips posted from things as simple as someone getting hit in the nuts with a baseball, to complex narratives with rather low production value. This acceptance of a lower standard in production makes me a little nervous. Cloverfield is Hollywoods reflection of this new trend in production.

Cloverfield, if I could describe in just a sentence, I’d say it’d be a B-Monster Movie meets Youtube. What sets it apart from fifteen year old Johnny’s horror movie he shot in his basement is that when Director Matt Reeves pans and whips the camera around, there is a motivation behind it. Someone once said, every shot, every line, every camera move must have a motivation. Though on the surface, one may not believe this with Cloverfield, but I assure you, there was nothing random about one shot in this film. A movie like Cloverfield has to have a serious plan, especially for the amount of post-effects present. Though it may draw comparisons to The Blair Witch Project, there is much more clarity in the execution of Cloverfield.

So does it work? Yes, very well in fact. I found myself interested throughout the almost 90 minutes. The film wasn’t just about a monster. It was about the characters, and their need to survive.

Is the acting gonna win anyone an Academy Award? Of course not, that wasn’t the point of this movie. Film has always been an escape, and what Cloverfield does is take all-too-familiar images from our own reality, and rather then terrorize us with something that we know, it makes it something we don’t know, something that (at least I hope) we’ll never see. The studio has definitely set themselves for a profit. With its $30 million dollar budget, looking around at the packed theater tonight, I think their marketing worked.

If anything, Cloverfield is a great example of how traditional storytelling is changing in this modern age. Steady, well framed, well lit shots are too perfect in in a world that no longer focuses on perfection when it comes to telling a good story. Though, my advice, if you get motion sick, pick a seat in the rear of the theater, you’ll thank me later.

-Vatche