He'll flip ya. Flip ya for real.

Last night, I was watching The Usual Suspects while I was waiting for Rome to come on. Suspects is a minor favorite of mine - it'd probably make my Top 50 films, but not my Top 30 - but as much as I like it, I don't watch it that often. So, with all that time gone by, I left it on and came to a new realization: The Usual Suspects looks really low budget. They must've spent the majority of the money on securing the excellent cast, because if you watch it with what I've said in mind you'll find...
- that the lighting is kinda lame, especially in the jail/outside the jail at the beginning, and during the parking garage heist.
- that alot of the settings are very guerrilla-friendly, ya know, set up & shoot. The Asian temple, the parking garage, that tube where they bury Fenster... pretty much any exterior shots except the big set pieces on the docks. Alot of quick establishing shots are also used, like shots of random non-descript windows on buildings, then cut to the interior which then dictates what kind of building it is.
- that the costumes could be straight out of the actor's closets, especially Stephen Baldwin & his cheesy motorcycle jacket (WAY too recognizable for a criminal trying not to be ID'd). Redfoot ends up being the coolest muthafucker in the film, with his sweet tan leather coat.
So, next time you see The Usual Suspects, keep an eye out. It doesn't reflect negatively on the film really... in fact, it illustrates even more how Bryan Singer made the most of what he had. Plus, Kevin Spacey still turns in one of the greatest performances of all time.

More Spinner [bonus track]

Apparently, the great David A. Sitek from TV on the Radio is a "badass photographer", according to the aforementioned AOL Spinner. Feel free to peruse.

I love you, Ted Leo / I join Spin class

On his superb new album, Living With The Living (out 3/20), Ted Leo asks 'Who do you love?' Well, I love you, Ted Leo. Just in case anyone thought this was turning into a Hip-Hop blog, I had to return with some good old-fashioned politi-punk fire in the tradition of The Clash. Besides being one of the nicest public figures I've ever met, Ted Leo and his music produce a very rare, extremely high level of anticipation in me; maybe ten artists get this reaction - it's like I'm ALWAYS waiting for the next album, even if I know they're not in the studio. And where some artists might disappoint, Ted and his new album do not. LWTL is a sprawling, varied rock album, packed with literate lyrics, spat and crooned with vitriol, with his troubled mind tearing itself apart over the state of our country. It is now the front-runner for best album of 2007, and unless there is an avalanche of classics, it'll surely stay towards the top of the list.

And speaking of Ted, because of him I stumbled on to AOL's Spinner, their music blog which is actually pretty damn good. They skew towards hipsters to pull the Sterogum readers, but cover all music news, and since its AOL, they pull more choice content, like free downloads from Bright Eyes, live footage of TV on the Radio, or in-office interviews & performances of Ted Leo. Check it out...

- Spinner
- Ted Leo's hilarious interview + 3 tunes
- 3x3: some live shit
- free stuff!!

a little taste - "Who Do You Love?"