Right This Minute: Summer Edition

My summer has finally begun, meaning I can look forward to many days of relaxation and catching up on all the fun pop cultural stuff I've lacked time to indulge in during the school year.  So this edition of Right This Minute includes some stuff that has indeed been occupying my time lately, as well as stuff that I'm looking forward to checking out in the coming months.

Movies

Bernie - I went into Richard Linklater's (Dazed and Confused, School of Rock) latest knowing nothing but the director and star, and it turned out to be a strange delight.  Jack Black plays the titular assistant funeral director in a small East Texas town who beings an enigmatic relationship with a feisty widow (a steely Shirley MacLaine) which ends messily.  The film is an effective mockumentary that dares the audience to pick a side while making it nearly impossible to do so.  There's a bit of dark comedy and plenty of beautifully sung Gospel music courtesy of Black; this is a download-worthy soundtrack if there ever was one.  Matthew McConaughey also costars.

Brave - Pixar's track record shines with nary a blemish (even if the Cars movies lack depth, they're good fun), and it looks like the studio has another hit on its hands.  As more trailers and clips drop for the late June release, I become increasingly convinced that it will be one of the year's best movies, if not the best. The Scottish fairy tale setting may seem like a retread of Dreamworks' gorgeous How to Train Your Dragon, but I'm sure the story will be satisfying original.  In fact, Brave is Pixar's first original work since Up in 2009, with their past two offerings sequels to earlier hits.  Between Katniss and Merida, I'd expect lots of little girls wielding bows come Halloween.

Shakespeare High - This charming documentary chronicles an annual competition in the Los Angeles area in which high schools prepare eight minute versions of classic Shakespearean works.  The pieces they devise are genius, using rap and tenets of reality television to breathe new life into the familiar plays, while also making sure the audience gets the gist of the shows.  Celebrity alums of the program like Kevin Spacey and Val Kilmer pop up to talk about their experiences, but the film shines most brightly when chronicling the vastly different lives from which the students at various schools emerge from to wield Shakespeare's powerful language.  The result is a moving, funny, and surprising documentary that unfolds like a sports tournament, only with more ruffles.

TV

Mad Men - Television's best show has retained its crown during Season 5, with each week bringing more surprises.  The writing has rarely been so sharp, the characterizations so crisp but complex, the storylines so heartbreaking and triumphant.  Don Draper (Jon Hamm, who has never been better, which really is saying something) is emerging from his domestic stupor, reawakening into the hungry ad man he once was.  His rebirth is only one of the thrilling threads this season, with big changes for fan-favorites Joan (a gorgeous, Emmy-worthy Christina Hendricks) and Peggy, and a tragic exit for another main character (whom shall remain nameless for the sake of possibly spoiling things for those who have fallen behind).  Matthew Weiner has assembled the best cast and crew in the history of television, and I'm glad to be alive to witness the greatness.

Downton Abbey - I finally caught up on Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes' gorgeous Masterpiece production, which manages to be steamy and sexy without ever showing very much of anything.  The parallel worlds of the nobility and the servants unfold even more richly textured than that Fellowes created in Gosford Park, with gorgeous costumes and art direction, fascinating period details and historical flourishes, and a brilliant cast comprised almost entirely of scene-stealers, most notably the inimitable Maggie Smith as the aged, ever-frisky Violet.  Season 2 ended with cliffhangers both happy and tragic, and I can't wait for more of the Crawleys' exploits.  In the meantime, I may have to rewatch it all again.

Breaking Bad - AMC also plays host to the second best show on TV, the thrilling meth-fueled roller coaster that is Breaking Bad.  Bryan Cranston of Malcolm in the Middle fame delivers one of the best performances you'll see in any medium as the desperate Walter White, who finds himself ever deeper in the world of hard drugs.  With Season 4 just released on DVD and Blu-ray, and all four seasons playing again on AMC leading up to the Season 5 premiere, there's never been a better time to start watching this intense, morally complex drama.

Books

The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness - I picked this series up as a result of it being announced that Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is adapting the first book, The Knife of Never Letting Go, for the big screen.  The young adult sci-fi series takes place on New World, a recently settled planet plagued with Noise: people's thoughts are audible to everyone.  Young narrator Todd and his faithful dog Manchee (who also talks via Noise) find a spot of silence in the swamp, which leads them on a journey across the planet with an army in hot pursuit.  I'm currently reading the second book, The Ask and the Answer, and I'm very keen to learn more about the backstory, as well as what happens.  Ness is a fine writer, though his use of run-ons is a tad melodramatic at times, and his typographical flourishes are gimmicky if effective.  Still, he's created an interesting world populated with truly likable (and despicable) characters.  I'm excited to see how Kaufman brings this world to life, whenever the movie ends up materializing.

Video Games
Mario Kart 7 - My current gaming poison of choice is the latest Mario Kart, which offers more of what the series has always offered, which is a very good thing indeed.  With some of the best 3D offered on the 3DS, customizable karts, and a huge cast of characters, Mario Kart 7 is one of the best in the series (second only to Double Dash, I'd say).  Courses from past games have even been reworked to include the new hang-gliding and underwater mechanics, making even the familiar jaunts fresh again.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 - I'm a sucker for side-scrolling Mario, and this latest edition looks like another home run.  Based on Nintendo's E3 press conference, this entry focuses on coin collecting, with modes requiring speed runs and fancy footwork as you try to collect every possible coin.  Golden items and enemies should help Mario amass more cash than ever.  New Super Mario Bros. 2 comes out in August.

Every PS3 Game I Own - I got a PS3 for Christmas, but with a never-ending stream of homework, I've not had time to delve into any of my games in meaningful fashion.  So I'm excited to tackle Uncharted, El Shaddai, The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection, and more.

Theater

The Neo-Futurists - This Chicago-based theater company is known for its long-running show Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind.  The cast has one hour to try to perform 30 two-minute plays, which are ordered up by the audience.  The audience calls the number of the play they want, a cast member grabs it and reads the title, and the show begins.  The show is quintessential theater, with the behind-the-scenes laid bare and the cast's teamwork playing significantly into their success as they try to make it through the entire menu.  With new shows added every week, you'll never see the same show twice, meaning you may not get shot with a water gun, splattered with tomatoes, and sat on like I did.